Damaging Time
by horselover77
Summary: Katharine Parker takes a hex to her chest smashing her Time Turner and is sent back to 1977. What will happen when she can't help but fall in love with James Potter? What will happen when he loves her back? This could change the future entirely.
1. How it all started

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 1**

**How it All Started**

Harry Potter and Katharine Parker lay in the front yard of Number 4 Privet Drive waiting for the arrival of their two best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.

The four of them have been friends since their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was now early July, the summer after their sixth year. Harry and Katharine had both gone to the Dursley's house on Albus Dumbledore's orders before his death. Ron and Hermione had both gone to their own homes to see their families off before they were to meet Harry and Kat.

Harry had told the three of them at Dumbledore's funeral that he was not going to Hogwarts for his seventh year. He was going to finish his and Dumbledore's task: to destroy all of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Ron, Katharine, and Hermione refused to let him go alone.

So that leads up to now, where Harry and Katharine lay, both in their deep, separate thoughts.

Katharine was thinking about how she had stumbled into this situation. She remembered everything almost like it was yesterday, meeting Harry and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express. She had already been best friends with Ron since they were very young. She and her family had met the Weasley's at a Muggle park when she and Ron were just five years old. Ron and his family were there admiring all of the passerby muggles even though a few muggles passing by gave them strange looks of how they were dressed. The Parkers were kind and thought they looked interesting and introduced themselves. Their families had kept in touch and became very close, seeing that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were the same age as Mr. and Mrs. Parker. However, the Weasley's had kept their secret about being a magical family until they had heard that Katharine had received her Hogwarts letter.

Katharine Marie Parker was a decently attractive lady. Tall and curvy. She had milk chocolate eyes framed by wavy, layered, reddish brown hair that fell down to her elbows. She was smart, but definitely no where near as book smart as Hermione, though.

Now, Kat wasn't an only child. She actually had a fraternal twin and his name was Kyle. She was still the first born, though, but only by a few minutes. Unfortunately, only Katharine had received a Hogwarts letter that day.

Just to mention her parents, her father's name was Michael and her mother's was Emma. They did not understand this whole Hogwarts business upon receiving the letter. But, since Mr. Weasley worked at the Ministry of Magic, he was placed in charge of explaining everything to the Muggle family. The Parkers were, of course, "surprised" about the whole ordeal, but they trusted the Weasley's and knew they were good people. Katharine was thrilled, of course, and was excited to begin this new journey in life knowing that her best friend Ron would be by her side every step of the way.

Just to recap, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Katharine had been through everything together. In their first year, they learned about the Sorcerer's stone and fought through all of the magical spells and enchantments. In their second year, they learned about the Chamber of Secrets and found out who Tom Riddle was. In their third year, they learned about Harry's Godfather, Sirius Black, and found out how Hermione was taking so many classes. In their fourth year, they learned about the Triwizard Tournament... And it was that year that became the turning point in Katharine's life.

The four were all excited about the upcoming event. When the day came for the Goblet to choose the players, they were horror struck when Harry _and_ Katharine's names were both shot out of the Goblet.

Everyone was pretty sure why Harry's name flew out, basically because everyone was out to get him, but no one could understand why Katharine's was as well. For whatever reason it happened, they were still forced to compete.

Since they were only 14 years old at the time, the Minister of Magic thought that it would be best if Harry and Katharine competed in the tasks together as "one." However, they were only given permission to use one wand. So, they had decided that Harry should keep his wand and Katharine should give up hers.

Once they were over the initial shock, they were grateful that they were to compete together because, for one, they didn't want to compete against each other; and two, they weren't quite sure if they could do it alone.

So, they fought through three dangerous tasks, both of them side by side. But after Harry, Cedric, and Katharine had grabbed the Triwizard Cup, their whole world turned upside-down when they were transported into the graveyard. When Wormtail killed Cedric, Katharine had nearly lost hope. The whole time that she had competed with Harry in the tournament, she was clueless as to why she was even in it. She knew why Harry was; obviously some one wanted to kill him. But why her?

In the graveyard, Voldemort had tortured her with the Cruciatus Curse while Harry had watched helplessly. And at some point during the Curse, she remembered passing out.

It was not until Katharine's fifth year that she was told of the reason she had been placed in the Triwizard Tournament.

* * *

On a rainy night, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Katharine sat at their favorite spot by the Gryffindor Common Room fire.

Ron was sitting in the middle of the couch staring into the fire with all of his books scattered across the couch, clearly showing that he was in no mood to study. Hermione was sitting in one of the red arm chairs reading Hogwarts, A History. She had already finished all of her assignments and was now relaxing. Katharine was lying on the rug facing the fire with a few of her assigned books to read scattered across the floor. Harry sat in the other arm chair closest to Kat reading his book about Quidditch matches. He was already finished with his assignments thanks to Kat helping him get it done before she had even tackled hers. He was almost always reading that book, anyway, considering that the book was the closest thing about Quidditch that he could get to after he and Katharine were kicked off the team because they kept stating that Voldemort was truly back.

Harry, being the Seeker, and Katharine, being one of the three Chasers, absolutely loved Quidditch. Ron – being the Keeper and still on the team – didn't bring up the subject much anymore, most likely afraid that Harry and Katharine would become angry and receive more detentions.

They were all being very quiet until Hermione looked up from her book after at least twenty minutes with her face pressed into it, and saw that Ron wasn't doing his assignments.

"Ron, are you finished with your work yet?" Hermione asked.

"Uh," he said snapping back into reality and turning to face Hermione. "I can't really think anymore. It's getting a bit late for me and my mind is totally blank..." He trailed off raising his eye brows and nodding as if it was the truth.

Katharine looked up at Harry and barely whispered, "Like that's something new."

Harry snorted and then quickly turned it into a cough. Katharine smiled and resumed reading her book.

"Well, you'll be asking for it when none of your assignments are ready to be turned in tomorrow," Hermione sang back at him.

"Well," Ron started. Harry stopped coughing and Katharine stopped reading. They turned around knowing that Ron's next move might be his last. "I was kind of - er - hoping that you could - um - you know... Do it for me?"

And that pulled Hermione's trigger.

"Ron! You are fifteen years old - almost sixteen - and I thought that maybe, just maybe, you would have started taking a little bit of responsibility by now! If you ask me again to do your work for you, I swear I will hex you all the way to Australia!" Every one in Gryffindor Tower was now staring at the two.

"But - but - Kat still helps Harry with his homework," Ron whimpered.

"Well, if Katharine enjoys getting caught up into yours' and Harry's sorry little schemes, then she can go right ahead. But I will NO MORE! You both are pathe-," Before Hermione could finish her sentence, she was cut off by Professor Dumbledore walking into the Common Room. Everyone in the room fell silent. No one had ever seen Dumbledore come into Gryffindor Tower before.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and searched the room. His eyes fell on Katharine and he said, "Hi Miss Parker. I need you to come with me."

At first, Katharine stared at him dumbly, but then his words finally sank in and she hopped up immediately.

"Is everything alright, Sir?" She asked a little puzzled noticing his worried look.

"Please, follow me, Miss Parker." And with that, he stepped right back out of the open portrait hole, leaving a very confused Katharine. He had sounded so serious and unlike himself.

Katharine turned to face Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all three standing up now and looking just as confused as she was.

"I'll be back in a few, I guess," she said.

Ron and Hermione nodded. Harry, however, stepped forward and pulled her into a comforting hug. When they let go, Katharine smiled at him, hoping he knew she meant thanks, and turned on her heel.

Dumbledore was standing in the corridor waiting as she stepped over the threshold.

"Please follow me to my office, Miss Parker," he said in that same, serious voice he had just spoken a minute or so ago.

Worry was overwhelming Katharine now. She knew that something terrible had happened. As they silently walked down the corridors, Katharine's mind raced with thoughts of what she might find out.

Before she knew it, they were both standing in front of the Gargoyle that led into Dumbledore's office. He muttered, "Fizzing Whizzbees," and the Gargoyle started to move upwards. Turning and turning then revealing a spiral stair case. He on and Katharine followed. Round and round they went until they stopped in front of a great big, oak door. He held the door open and motioned for Kat to go sit in the brown chair in front of his desk.

"Miss Parker, I am sure you've noticed by my silence that something is wrong," he said as he took the seat opposite her. Katharine nodded. "Well, there is no easy way for me to say this." He cleared his throat then started again. "I have just been notified by the Minister of Magic that there was an attack of Death Eaters reported last night at 7:30. Could you please tell me what your family was doing last night?"

"I- I think they were having a family get together. They have it every year in February around my birthday, the nineteenth, to show that they are thinking of me... We have a really close family." She answered not really understanding why he was asking.

"Hmm," he mumbled nodding his head. "Now Katharine, I want you to listen to me and listen to me very carefully," Dumbledore said in a serious tone again. Katharine found that she did not want to hear what he had to say next but then wished he would get on with it already... He had never called her by her first name before.

"Your _whole_ family was murdered by Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Katharine didn't say anything. Did she just hear him right? Her _whole _family was murdered by Voldermort _and _his Death Eaters? No, this couldn't be right. Why would Voldemort do this to her? She couldn't think of anything she'd ever done to just be _picked._

She stood up and walked over to the rain streaked window. It was very dark outside, but you could see a bit of light from the occasional flashes of lightning. It was a little strange that it was raining so much in the middle of February...

She turned her gaze towards the lake and watched the rain become "one" with the lake. She stood there with her forehead on the cold window for a few minutes not really thinking about anything. She wanted to ignore everything he had just said. She didn't want to believe it. Who _would_ want to believe it?

Breaking the silence, Dumbledore spoke softly, "Katharine, there's… something else I must tell you. I-I'm y-your-,"

"_This is strange. Dumbledore never stutters." _Katharine pointed out to herself.

Dumbledore stopped; cleared his throat; and then started again, speaking more confident than before. "I'm your grandfather."

Suddenly for some reason, anger instantly swept over Katharine. She knew Dumbledore wasn't playing a trick on her because he always spoke the truth. Her forehead was stuck to the window, but she hadn't noticed until after ripping her face off the window. "What?" she said loudly rubbing her forehead and forgetting all about her manners.

"It was a very long time ago, Katharine-,"

"Oh! Well, obviously," she said crossing her arms.

"I know you're upset, but let me just explain-,"

"Well, explain then!"

"Right. Now where shall I start-," he said speaking to himself more than Katharine.

"Usually the beginning is a nice place to start," Katharine mumbled sitting back down in her chair. Luckily, Dumbledore didn't hear the comment.

"Well, it was in the year of 1949 when I met your grandmother, Sarah Swan. It was a beautiful day in the month of late June and school was already out for summer break. I had the urge to go out into the muggle world and explore for a while. As I was walking the streets of London, I turned a corner and literally bumped into your grandmother. She had just stepped down the last library steps and was carrying about, from the looks of it, 10 to 15 books. They went over the top of her head and she naturally couldn't see where she was going. She dropped all of her books and I apologized and helped her pick them up. When we both stood up, I looked at her for the first time. She was a very beautiful woman with dark red hair that sat on her shoulders and bright, hazel green eyes; must be where you get your gorgeous looks," Dumbledore said trying to break the ice. This did not faze her at all. In fact, it sounded kinda creepy.

"Anyway, we talked a little and I offered if she would like to join me for a cup of coffee. She agreed and we both walked down the streets to a little coffee shop about three blocks down-"

"Do I really have to hear all of this detail?" Kat interrupted again.

"Yes you do."

Kat glared at him as he continued. "So after coffee, she said that she must be going as it was getting late. We had gotten along very well and had not even paid attention to the time. So, I took a big leap and asked her if she would like to have dinner with me sometime. She said she'd think about it. She gave me her number and I gave her mine, and she told me she'd call me the next day."

"Did you even have a telephone for her to call you on?" Katharine interrupted raising an eye brow.

"My dear, do you think I'm some foolish old man who does not know how the muggle world works? Of course I had a telephone." Dumbledore said shaking his head.

Katharine felt a little rude now, but shrugged it off and thought that she had good reason to be rude.

"Anyway, the next day came and I was anxiously waiting for her call. She did not call until 4 o' clock that evening. She said that she'd love to have dinner sometime. So, we made plans for that Saturday night. The date had been wonderful. We both had an excellent time.

"Well, about three months had passed and Sarah and I were getting even closer. We were seeing each other almost every day of the week. But, as September came nearer, it was almost time for me to go back to school. I had told her before that I was a teacher in a boarding school farther north. But, that did not keep me from seeing her every weekend. I could not see her everyday of the weekend, for I told her that I could not leave the school for that long, but I did see her every Saturday night.

"Of course, everyone in the school (including the staff) wondered where I went on Saturdays. I did not know why I had never told anyone about Sarah. I guess that I just wasn't ready to share.

"Anyway, one Saturday night Sarah had surprised me by making us both a dinner at her house. After dinner we just talked a little. Then things became a little closer….." Dumbledore trailed off.

Katharine watched him with one eye brow arched high. This was too weird, strange and just _awkward_. Dumbledore dated her grandmother? Even a muggle for that matter. She was related to Dumbledore!

Dumbledore continued. "A few weeks went by. On yet another Saturday we had dinner at her house again. When we had finished, I made my way to cleaning the dishes, but Sarah said that she would take care of it later. She said that she had something important to tell me. She looked happy and worried at the same time. I was not a stupid man, but I wasn't sure whether this was going to be good news or bad. We sat down on the sofa and she told me slowly... That she was pregnant... I didn't know what to say at first; but then I had a sudden rush of happiness. I knew that it would be okay. I knew that we would get married and start a family. But then again, I didn't know that everything was going to be okay. I had not forgotten that I had not told her yet that I was a wizard; but not just any wizard, possibly the most powerful wizard ever. So, when I left and Disapparated back to the school, I thought about it, and made up my mind that I was going to tell her about me being a wizard the next time I saw her.

"Well, when I told her, let's just say it didn't go so well. As I had planned, she panicked. She at first thought I was crazy; then she asked me to prove it. So, I showed her my wand. She still quite wasn't following me. So, I told her to stay calm as I transformed her cat into a goblet, then back into a cat. She was horror struck. She screamed and told me to get out of her house and her life and to never speak to her again-,"

"So, you just left! You never went back to her to try to explain further?" Katharine said getting frustrated from trying to gather all of this in.

"Well, of course I went back to her. Of course I tried to explain everything to her," Dumbledore calmly spoke. "But, she would not listen. It hurt me deeply when she threatened that if I ever came back to see her, she would call the police- like they could to much," he chuckled. "She said that she was going to leave the city and move somewhere where I'd never find her.

"So, I decided that it was best that I should leave her alone, for the sake of my school and the wizarding world. I did, however, try to find her. Then, finally, I found her in the year of 1954. I found her in Scotland where her older sister, Rebecca, lived. She had been staying there for four years- ever since she had fled from her home in London.

"The school year would not end for another month, and since I knew where she now was, I decided that it would be best if I waited until school was out for the summer. The day after school had ended, I set off to find her. Since I did not know the exact location that she was at, I was only able to apparate to places that I was familiar with. I was actually able to apparate pretty close to where she was staying. Don't ask me how I knew where she was staying. I just had a strange feeling about where she was... It's good to always trust your feelings, dear." Dumbledore stopped for a few minutes to gather his thoughts.

Yet again, Katharine was still watching him with one eye brow slightly raised. This was just so bizarre!

Dumbledore started yet again. "So, I finally found her exact location after searching for her for two days. It was a very nice looking cottage and I was very happy that she was being properly taken care of. The thing that I was mostly worried about was that she would not be able to take care of a child on her own. But, I was proven wrong." Dumbledore took a deep breath and then resumed.

"I walked up to the front door and rang the door bell... I heard little running footsteps and then a little girl, no more than the age of four, opened the door. She had hazel blue eyes and long, dark red hair. I was so happy her looks came from her mother," Dumbledore smiled. "She looked up at me and smiled the prettiest smile I had ever seen." As Dumbledore said this, tears started to form in his eyes. He sniffed very lightly and resumed again, his voice sounding normal. "I said hello and asked her if her mother or her aunt was home. She said her mum was home and ran to get Sarah, leaving the door wide open.

"It was a very nice, cozy house. I looked straight ahead and saw many pictures of Sarah, Rebecca, our daughter, and a man I did not know along the entrance hall. I tore my eyes away from the happy photos and sat on the porch.

"I was a little shocked that Sarah wasn't watching her daughter and had just let her answer the door. Really _anyone_ could have been at the door... I heard Sarah scolding the little girl about answering the door without permission." He paused to smile again thoughtfully, "Then I heard Sarah walking to the front door. I turned to look at her as she stepped out drying her hands off with a towel. Her hair was very long and still a beautiful dark red. She had filled out a little more, but not much. As soon as she walked onto the porch, she practically froze when she saw me.

"She asked me, of course, how I was able to find her and I simply said that a wizard is able to find anyone in hiding... She didn't take that too kindly." He chuckled again.

"So she told me to leave and that she wanted nothing to do with me... I asked if I could just explain... She said something along the lines of 'what is there to explain other than that I lied to her for three months.'

"I told her there was so much more... But she refused to listen once again... I then asked if she was okay with our daughter growing up without a father... Well, she answered that perfectly fine." He paused and sulked for a second...

"Well, she told me that she was engaged and would be married very soon... And that our daughter would never know her true father...

"I don't know why it had surprised me so much... I should have known that she would move on, but I guess I was in denial... I was disappointed in myself. If I had told her sooner that I was a wizard, maybe things would have turned out differently... But I guess everything happens for a reason." He smiled at Katharine.

"So, I asked if I could say bye to her... She said no at first but then said that it couldn't hurt since the little girl didn't know who I was... So she called her out and Sarah introduced her to me as Emma Marie... She told her that I would like to say goodbye and surprisingly, Emma jumped into my arms and gave me the sweetest hug I think I will ever receive in my entire life." Dumbledore stopped to wipe a tear from his eye again... Katharine almost felt sorry for him.

"Well, it sure seems like you've thought out this story before many times," she said.

"I have relived that moment many times before in my Pensieve because that was the last time I saw Sarah and your mother," Dumbledore sighed.

"Why have you never told me before? You had to have known who I was when you sent me a letter accepting me to Hogwarts, right? I mean, you know who everyone is when you send them a Hogwarts letter," Katharine said as she was becoming confused about the whole thing.

"Well yes, I did know who you were. That's why I sent you a letter to Hogwarts." He replied with a little twinkle in his baby blue eyes.

"So… Why am I a witch and Kyle isn't - wasn't," she said remembering why she was here in the first place. Afraid that she would start to cry, she threw that in the back of her mind.

"Well, there's a long story to that too, but I shall keep it short," Dumbledore smiled.

"Well, I will start off by saying that you are my _first_ grandchild. You were born before Kyle was. So, that makes you my second descendent. Your mother being the first. It is said that the second descendent of a great witch or wizard shall be an even greater witch or wizard. Usually, magic is handed down to every other generation if one of the child's grandparents was a witch or wizard. Are you understanding this?" He asked very seriously raising one eye brow.

"Um, no. Not really," Katharine said, screwing up her face.

"Come on, Katharine. You're not a foolish girl. You are the heir of a powerful wizard, which makes you a powerful witch. Which makes Lord Voldemort scared of you. Which makes you able to defeat Voldemort as able as I am. But, of course, we know that we are not the ones to do that. Harry Potter is the Chosen One and he is the one to defeat Voldemort. Everyone in the Wizarding World knows that I am the only one Lord Voldemort is feared by, even though you and I know he should also be afraid of Mr. Potter. Well, he somehow found out that you are the heir of mine, which means that he is trying to defeat you before you become old enough to be an even greater witch than I am. Not that I'm a witch, but you get my point." Dumbledore took a great big breath.

Katharine just sat with her mouth hanging open. "_I'm not going to be an even greater witch than Dumbledore_," she thought. "_I'm just Katharine. A muggle born witch that just happens to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time_."

"No, no. I - I can't be…" she trailed off.

"Oh, but you are. That's why Voldemort put you and Harry in the Triwizard Tournament. He wanted you and Harry dead. But, once again, he underestimated yours' and Harry's powers." Dumbledore smiled at the fact.

"So, you're telling me that you knew all along why I was in the Tournament and you never told me? You let me compete through the Tournament not even knowing why I had to go through it in the first place?" Katharine said as every word she spoke grew louder.

"I'm sorry, Katharine, that you feel this way; but I was keeping you safe by not letting you know how powerful you truly are. I didn't know how you would take it if you knew that you were much more capable of doing even greater magic than you are learning now. You will one day understand this." Dumbledore said leaning back in his chair.

"When I was chosen to be in the Tournament, did you know immediately why I was in it?"

"I had a hunch, but I wasn't quite sure."

Katharine slammed her fist on the table and stood up. "Then why didn't you tell me!" She bellowed as she started to pace the length of the desk.

"I already told you why. I was afraid that you would take pride in yourself." Dumbledore replied keeping his voice calm.

"That was not your decision to make! You had no right to keep the truth of my past from me! And I would NEVER take pride in my self!" She added.

"_I_ kept the truth of your past from you? You are acting as if your grandmother did not know anything about your past."

"My _grandmother_ didn't raise me. Yes, my grandmother had no right, as well as you, to keep the truth from my mum and me. But, you have had plenty of time to tell me about it. Six years to be exact." She said placing her hands on the desk and leaning in closer towards Dumbledore as she spoke, then resuming her pacing.

"Five." Dumbledore corrected her.

"No. Six. My birthday was eight days ago." She said glaring at Dumbledore.

"So it was…" Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"Yes. It. Was." Katharine was now at her boiling point. She had just about heard enough. Then it hit her. What about her family's funeral? "When is their funeral?"

"Wednesday. Two days from now."

"And - do you possibly know - how they look?" She asked timidly not really wanting to know the answer, but she knew that she must be prepared.

"Well... I will just leave it at... Not too good."

Katharine's voice had now become very shaky with anger. She balled her hands up into fists as she spoke, "You. Have now. _Officially_. Made. My life. A LIVING HELL! All of this time you knew that my family was in danger and you did NOTHING TO PROTECT THEM! How could you be so selfish! How could you do this to _your_ FAMILY! I HATE YOU AND I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Without realizing what she had just said, she spun around and stormed out of Dumbledore's office with no turning back.

She ran down the stairs, two at a time, and raced down the corridors. No tears fell. Not even a single tear welled up in her eyes. She was done with Hogwarts. She was finished with living in fear. She was sick of people always coming to her with their problems. Did anyone even care for once about her feelings? No! Not once did someone ask her how she was doing. Not once did someone just let _her_ spill out all of her problems. But, after all, that _was_ her problem. It was her problem that she never spoke up. It was her problem that she cared about everyone else before she even looked twice at herself. It was her problem that she was such a good listener and such a caring person towards others. But, she would have that problem no longer. She was going to run away. Some where far away where she was all alone with no one to care for except herself. She had cared for so many others and helped others long enough to last her a life time! She knew she was being extremely selfish, but for once, she was going to be selfish.

And no, she did not care who she left. She did not care about who missed her (if it was even possible for anyone to miss her). Ron, he had just been a real asshole lately; and Hermione, all she ever did was read her books and seclude herself from everyone; and Harry... Katharine had loved him ever since she had met him. But, did he ever show any feelings towards her even when she gave him the _slightest_ hint? No. She was sick of being hurt every time he had a new crush. Katharine didn't even know _why _she was in love with Harry anyway. He was such a little kid sometimes who never took responsibility. She now wished that she hadn't followed him like a little puppy for all those years.

She stopped running. She reached inside her back jeans' pocket and found that it was empty. "_Damnit_!" she cursed to herself. She had forgotten that she had given Harry her wand so that he could polish since it had started to look a bit rugged. She looked round at her surroundings to see where she had run to. She realized that she was in the Entrance Hall and right in front of the entrance doors.

"Argh!" she yelled out loud not really caring if someone heard her or not. She turned around and ran up the stairs three at a time heading back to Gryffindor Tower to retrieve her wand.

She ran right up to the Fat Lady's portrait and started cursing at her for no reason, making her jump right out of her deep sleep. It was at least after midnight and way past school hours.

"I- don't- care what the- bloody password is! Just open the- damn door!" She yelled, completely out of breath from running.

"Now there is no reason what-so-ever for you to use that kind of language! It is way past school hours and I surely hope you did not wake anyone up. Now, you will give me the password politely and quietly." The Fat Lady said crossing her arms.

Katharine scowled and gave her the password. She jumped through the hole and ran inside to find the Common Room completely empty except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione all sitting by the fire obviously waiting for her to come back.

Ron was fast asleep and snoring very loudly with his head hanging over the back of the couch. Hermione was right where Katharine had left her, reading her beloved book. Harry had his elbows on his knees and his head propped up on his hands as he stared into the fire. Her books had been picked up by one of them and were now in her bag lying next to Harry.

"Harry!" She bellowed snapping him right out of his gaze. "Where the bloody hell is my wand?" She yelled as she placed her hands on her hips.

Harry was so shocked and a little dazed from his abrupt awakening, he had to shake his head to focus and to review what had just happened. Hermione had dropped her book from Katharine's tremendous cry and Ron had jumped up off of the couch screaming. If Katharine hadn't been in such a foul mood, she probably would have laughed.

"What the bloody hell is your problem! Coming in and scaring the shit out of us like that!" Ron screeched grabbing his chest.

"Oh shut it, Ron. Harry, where is my wand?" Katharine asked more demanding and more threatening this time.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Kat?" Harry asked as he stood up.

"Just. Give. Me. My. Wand." Katharine was finding it very difficult to word out her thoughts now.

"Not until I know what is wrong with you." Harry said, stepping forward.

"Harry, for once will you fucking listen to me! Give me my wand now!" She said thrusting out her hand.

"Alright! Will you stop cursing already?" Harry said, giving in. He reached inside his jeans' pocket and pulled out her beloved wand.

Without a thank you, she tore it out of his hand and spun on her heel. She kicked the portrait door open and jumped right out. In her process of kicking it shut behind her, Harry kicked it back open, almost hitting her in the back of her head.

"Where are you going?" Harry demanded.

"Leave me the hell alone, _Potter_!" She yelled over her shoulder as she ran the other way.

Not even considering that for a second, Harry charged after her, slamming the door shut as he ran.

* * *

As if the two yelling teens had forgotten all about them, Ron and Hermione exchanged very confused looks.

"What the-," Hermione began but Ron grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the boy's bathroom.

"We can get a perfect view of Hogwarts' gates in here. I have a feeling Kat is running away. This is exactly how she acted when she was running away from her house to come to mine." He said shutting the door. They ran to the window and waited for Harry and Katharine to come into view.

* * *

"What on earth do you kids think you're doing throwing me around like that? I can feel you know!" The Fat Lady bellowed after Harry and Katharine as they ran down the corridor.

Katharine was running like a speeding bullet and Harry was having trouble keeping up with her, but he managed.

"Katharine! Will you please tell me what is wrong with you?" Harry pleaded, trying to catch his breath.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Katharine said to herself spinning around so fast, Harry almost collided with her. "You want to know what's wrong? You want to know what's wrong!" She said twice as her anger totally boiled over now.

"For bloody hell's sake, YES!" Harry said, getting very annoyed now.

"Fine. Let me just sum it all up for you then. Voldemort _and_ his Death Eaters destroyed my _whole_ family last night. All of them! I have absolutely no family left! Well, that is except for Dumbledore," she said with a very evil tone of sarcasm.

"Except for Dumbledore? What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Oh yeah, by the way, Dumbledore is my _grandfather_. My mum's _father_. He dated my grandmother in 19 bloody 49 and got her pregnant months later. He told her about him being a wizard, oh, and not to mention the "greatest" wizard of all. She thought he was crazy- which I am too starting to think that he really is- and she left him and moved to my Aunt Rebecca's house in Scotland. Then he told me something else that he's kept from me for sixteen years. He said that since I am his first grandchild, I am supposed to be an even greater witch than the wizard he is today. And you know what? I hope I bloody will be!" Katharine stomped her foot as she finished the last sentence. She turned on her heel (which she has really been doing a lot lately) and dashed down the steps.

Harry stood dumbstruck for a moment, and then chased Katharine down the stairs.

"And what do you plan on doing next, Kat? Running away from your family like you always do?" Harry called after her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked from the bottom of the staircase.

Harry jumped down the last three steps, and answered her question. "Don't think that Ron doesn't share stories about you. He's told me many times that you've run away from your home and always go running to his family. What's up with that, Kat? Do you like his family more?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why do you have a habit of always running away from the ones you love, huh?"

There was a short pause.

"I don't have a habit of always running away from the ones I love," Katharine whispered. She then headed for the big oak doors and pulled them open with much difficulty as Harry simply watched her, shaking his head.

Harry was on her heels as she ran out into the pouring rain, getting soaked in a matter of seconds. They ran all the way down to the gates that lead out of Hogwarts' grounds, and Katharine grabbed its lock and shook it the first time, tears started welling up in her eyes.

They were now soaked as if they had just jumped into the Black Lake. She was freezing cold, she was so angry, and she was even more confused than before.

"Katharine," Harry said over the roar of the rain, laying his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry about your family, but you have to understand that running away isn't going to do any good."

"No, it probably won't. But, at least it will get me away from here!" She shrugged Harry's hands off of her shoulders and turned around to face him as her voice started to rise, but was very weak. "I have absolutely no one here, Harry! No one here loves me and no one here pays any attention to me! The only time someone comes up to me is when they need to talk about _themselves_! I don't mind listening and helping someone out, but for once would someone listen to what _I_ need? And you, Harry Potter, would never understand this because every one here in this bloody castle is always on their knees kissing your feet!" She buried her face in her hands and finally let the tears fall down her cheeks.

Harry was deeply hurt by this. As tears streamed down his cheeks as well, he grabbed Katharine's arms on either side of her. "Katharine." He said and she tried to shrug him off of her. He shook her. "Katharine! _I am here_! I've always been here for you, just waiting for you to come to me when you needed _me_! And- and- Katharine, I do love you. I love you so much and only you." With these words Katharine looked up at him.

Suddenly, Harry grabbed her face with both of his hands and kissed her. Oh, how she had wanted this day to come so badly. Katharine then couldn't help but break down in his arms. Their lips parted as her knees gave out. Harry held her, but brought them both down to their knees on the flooded pathway.

As she cried into his chest, he laid his head on top of hers and cried with her. For what felt like hours, Harry finally picked Katharine up and walked back towards the castle, cradling her in his arms. She buried her face into his chest and let out all of her misery about her family.

Harry carried her all the way to the seventh floor corridor and up to the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Oh my goodness! Are you two alright?" She squealed.

"Yes, we're fine. Just a bit muddy and very cold." Harry replied with a faint smile.

He said the password and she swung open for them. As he stepped inside, they found Ron and Hermione talking excitedly on the couch.

Ron looked up at their arrival with a wild grin on his face. Hermione saw that Ron had looked up and she turned around, with an almost exact wild grin on her face as well. Neither one of them got up. They simply kept grinning.

"Why on earth are you two grinning so insanely at me?" Harry asked, a little annoyed.

"Um, I think I should take Katharine up to our dormitory and get her nice and warm, don't you think." Hermione made it more of a statement than a question. She got up from the couch as Harry placed Kat on her feet. "Oh my gosh, you're as cold as ice!" Hermione exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around Katharine. "Harry, you should get up to your dormitory and get warm as well," Hermione said over her shoulder.

"I will. I just want a quick word with Ron." Harry said with an evil smile. Ron noticed his smile and quickly got up off of the couch. Harry watched Hermione and Katharine climb up the stairs until they were out of site. He then turned to Ron.

"So, Ron. What's with the grinning?" Harry asked, stepping towards him. He decided to have a little fun with the guilty kid.

"Well, um…. Hermione and I went into the boy's bathroom over there," he pointed towards the bathroom but Harry didn't take his eyes off of Ron. Ron swallowed. Harry had to step up onto his tip toes in order for his face to be level with Ron's, which was now an inch or two away. "We um... Waited until you and Katharine came into eye sight and um..."

"You know, Ron, you really shouldn't be afraid of me considering how much larger you are than me." Harry pointed out falling back down onto his heels.

This seemed to help Ron loosen up. "Sorry Harry, but we wanted to see where you guys were going. And I had a feeling that Kat was running away. So, I took Hermione to the bathroom and to that one window so we could see what you guys were doing."

"How much did you see?" Harry asked a grin appearing onto his pale, frozen face.

Ron snorted, "Everything."

"Even when I..." Harry trailed off.

"Yup," Ron said with the biggest grin on his face that Harry thought his cheeks would split.

Harry stared at him and his huge grin for a moment. Then they both burst into laughter.

"So," Ron piped up after regaining himself. "What happened to Katharine tonight?"

It took Harry a minute to realize what he was talking about, and then when it hit him, he explained everything.

"Really?" Ron said in a high pitched voice. "They're all gone? Her whole family?"

"I'm sorry, Ron. I know how much you and your family loved them." Harry said.

"And, she's related to Dumbledore?" Ron asked, holding himself together about the horrible loss.

"Yup. It's weird, I know. But, it's true." Harry shrugged.

"Strange," Ron said drumming his fingers on his chin.

"Yeah... Well, I am incredibly cold from these soaked, muddy jeans and I think I'm going to take a shower and then get in as much sleep as I can. What time is it anyway?" Harry asked.

"Three-fifteen." Ron answered, checking his watch.

"Well, I think it's time for bed, mate. What do you think?" Harry said, heading towards the stairs.

"I think it's one of the best things you've said all night." Ron answered, "And uh, I think you really helped her tonight, you know." Ron said patting him on the back as they climbed the stairs.

"Yeah... I hope."

End of Fifth Year Flashback


	2. A Kidnapping in Godric's Hollow

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 2**

**A Kidnapping in Godric's Hollow**

Harry and Katharine laid next to each other in silence as they waited for Ron and Hermione, who were supposed to be arriving together since Hermione had stayed at the Burrow the night before. Katharine was staring up at the blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds, the kind that look like cotton candy. It was a hot day, but the slight breeze made it mostly bearable. Harry enjoyed the heat... Katharine, no so much. She would much rather be playing in snow right now.

With no sign of them yet, Katharine closed her eyes and sighed. Finally, after about an hour of no movement or silence, Harry was the first to break it.

He rolled over onto his side and watched her with a smile. Feeling his eyes on her, she opened hers and turned her head to look at him. She faintly returned his smile.

Harry then sighed and rolled back onto his back. "So, what have you been thinking about while we've been in this incredibly long silence?" He asked in a bored tone.

Katharine, still watching Harry, answered him in the same tone.

"Fifth year."

"Again? Kat, aren't you getting tired of reliving that year?" Harry asked, facing her again.

"Yes. But, I can't help it. I was so mean to Dumbledore and for no reason. I don't think I ever forgave him." She said thinking back yet again.

"You had good reason to be mean, you know." Harry supported.

"Not really. I don't think anyone ever deserves that kind of degrading. I wish I had apologized to him before it was too late. It's stupid too, because it took me a year to finally realize that... I don't think I'll ever forgive myself." Katharine closed her eyes again, holding back tears, and attempted to sound happy. "But hey, I can't change that now, can I?"

Harry shrugged.

"Anyway, what were _you_ thinking about in our incredibly long silence?" Katharine changed the subject. She knew he didn't enjoy talking about Dumbledore since he had passed.

Surprisingly, Harry chuckled.

"I was actually thinking about when I kissed you in the rain. Then I thought about how sick you and I were the next day... That wasn't too fun." He said, smiling at the memory.

"I don't know about that. I kind of enjoyed being in the Hospital Wing alone with you for two days," she said, not mimicking his smile.

"True," he laughed. "But, I still think that it was a bit ridiculous when Madam Pomfrey was more than capable of curing us in a second."

Now she laughed, "Yeah, but don't you remember what Pomfrey told us?"

"Yeah. She told us that it was our fault for getting sick in the first place and that we were foolish to stay out in the cold rain for so long." Harry nodded. "Old fart." He mumbled.

"Harry!" Katharine shrieked, slapping him on the arm and sitting up and crossing her ankles. "Besides, like I said, I enjoyed being in the Hospital Wing with you. It finally gave us a chance to talk."

Harry sat up too and leaned his elbows on his legs. "Yeah, me too... So where are those two gits, anyway?"

"Is that how you refer to us when we're not around?"

Harry and Katharine snapped their heads to the left, where they heard the familiar voice. Sure enough, Ron and Hermione were walking towards them, their trunks alongside them.

"So, now what?" Ron asked as he approached Harry.

"Well, I guess I'll say goodbye to the Dursleys first." Harry walked up to the front door and opened it just enough so that he could stick his head through. Katharine could faintly hear the television on and heard his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley all laughing at something on it.

"I'm leaving now and you all will never have to see me again!" Harry shouted.

Harry then slammed the door shut and beamed with excitement as he joined his three friends. He then pulled out his wand and transformed all of their trunks into inch size trunks. Hermione eyed him.

"What?" he asked.

"We aren't supposed to use magic yet. Not until we've graduated our seventh year, which we will never do..."

"Hermione, will you relax? Do you think we really care if we aren't allowed to use magic? Now, we all know that you are the smartest person in the world, but do you honestly have to rub it in?" Ron said with an eye brow quirked up.

Hermione scowled at him, "I was not rubbing in my intelligence!"

Harry and Katharine exchanged a quick glance and suddenly burst into laughter. Ron and Hermione stopped glaring at each other and exchanged their glares upon the two laughing teens.

"What?" Ron and Hermione synchronized.

"When will you two ever confess your feelings for each other and stop trying to hide your flirts behind bickering?" Harry asked.

For once Ron nor Hermione had any kind of feed-back to Harry's question. They instantly flushed, which wasn't normal. Usually they would be chewing their way down Harry's throat for saying something like that.

"Well, whenever you two are finished blushing until your cheeks can't get any redder, we will be on our way," Katharine said, grinning wildly.

"Right." Ron said grabbing the inch-sized trunks and shoving them into his jeans' pocket. Hermione, still blushing, tried to hide her face under her bushy hair.

"Anyway, where are we going? Are we just planning to keep walking and see where we end up?" Katharine asked as they walked down Privet Drive.

"Well you know, in Sirius' will, he gave me the key to my mum and dad's cottage in Godric's Hollow. I was thinking maybe we could stay there while we search. That's about all I've really planned out..." Harry muttered the last bit, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Harry. Voldemort knows exactly where that cottage lies, obviously. I mean, we all know that. You don't think he's going to look there again?" Hermione asked. "Oh Ron, please get a grip." She added as Ron winced at the name. Katharine found herself very proud of Hermione for finding the courage to say his name.

"I agree with Hermione, Harry. Voldemort isn't stupid at everything he does. He'll check there again. It will most likely be his first stop." Katharine said.

"Ah," Harry said raising his index finger for more emphasis, "but I don't think that he will do that. What I think, is that Voldemort will think that we will think that exact thing and he will think that we will be afraid that he will check there for us first. So, I think that Voldemort thinks that we will not stay there because we think he thinks that." Harry said broadly.

Ron, utterly and clearly confused, held his chin in his hand and seemed to ponder what Harry had said. Hermione simply rolled her eyes.

"Erm, right… But, I still agree with Hermione." Katharine said shrugging off Harry's very confusing speech.

"Well, lets stay there just for tonight and we'll look for another place to stay tomorrow, alright? Then we can begin our search after we find another place." Harry confirmed.

"Alright." Katharine and Hermione agreed.

There was a short moment of silence.

"Harry… I don't get it!" Ron said obviously very frustrated.

The three laughed and shook their heads at Ron's delayed skills.

"How are we getting there, anyway?" Hermione asked.

"Um… walking…" Harry said.

"Oh, this will be fun…"

* * *

At least a few hours had passed by now and they didn't really seemed to have made any progress.

"Harry, obviously walking isn't getting us anywhere near Godric's Hollow." Katharine said as if no one else had noticed.

"You might want to take that back after we turn this corner," Harry replied.

Just as Harry had said, she did want to take that back. As they turned the corner, there was a long dirt road and a wooden sign saying 'Godric's Hollow'.

Harry smirked at Kat and she scoffed at him.

The group began another long walk up the dirt path. They started walking up a small hill, where they could make out the roof of a small cottage. Then they could see a few more roofs. They finally got up to the top of the hill and looked around into the huge valley. It was funny because it kind of reminded Katharine of the World Cup they went to in their fourth year, only with small cottages scattered everywhere instead of tents. It looked like a very nice, cozy village. There, of course, weren't quite as many cottages as there were tents at the World Cup, but there were a fair few.

"So," Ron said. "It looks very nice here. Do you know where their cottage is?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's supposed to have it's very own pathway and a gate. I'm guessing that it's up on that hill." Harry pointed to the small hill opposite them.

"Oh great. Another hill." Ron complained.

"Oh, hush up Ron." Hermione said.

They followed the dirt path through the village and up the small hill. A few people peeked out of their windows and watched them curiously. At the top of the hill, like Harry had said, there was a small gate and stepping stones that led to the front door of a completely wooden fence lined cottage. It was a wood framed cottage mixed with some rustic looking stone and had two wooden chairs on the porch as well.

"Are you ready for this?" Katharine asked Harry.

"Yes," he said confidently.

They slowly walked up to the gate. Harry pulled the latch out and the gate swung open. The three followed him up to the front door once Ron closed and latched the gate behind them. They stepped up the three steps and everyone paused as Harry fumbled for the key. Harry pushed the key into the the antique looking door knob and swung it open, revealing a small entrance hall. Kathrine was surprised to see that there was furniture everywhere looking like it had never been touched. She thought it would have been empty. The place was a bit dusty, but not bad.

Harry stepped forward into the entrance hall and Ron, Katharine, and Hermione followed. The whole house was wood floored. They all looked around explored each room. Hermione and Harry looked at the pictures along the entrance hall while Katharine and Ron walked around the house. Katharine walked straight into the living room and Ron turned right into the dining room. The living room couches were a soft green with a wooden table in between them. There was a vase full of dried flowers on the table and to the left there was a staircase leading upstairs. There was a door on the right and Katharine expected it to be the bathroom.

The dining room had a wooden table with four chairs around it and there was a red and brown rug underneath it. Ron turned left and walked into the kitchen. The countertops were a speckled brown and gold with wood cabinets.

Harry looked at all of the happy photos of him and his parents. He smiled at the picture of his mum holding him with his dad kissing his mum on the cheek. He then looked at his mum and dad's wedding picture of just the two of them. He then glanced at a few more pictures with Sirius and other people in them too. They were all waving and smiling at him and Hermione.

Katharine turned left and walked up the stairs where there was a window at the end of it. She stepped up the last step and turned right around and walked down the hallway. She came to an open doorway and walked in finding herself in a very nice cozy bedroom that looked like a guest room.

She turned around and walked back down the hallway and opened a door to her right which was the bathroom. She shut the door and walked down the rest of the hallway. She turned left and opened the last door that was on the second floor. Katharine guessed that it was Harry's parent's bedroom. She turned the knob and the door creaked open. There was a king sized bed at the right end of the room and there was Harry's baby crib on the left end. There was also a wardrobe straight ahead. A plain and simple house, it seemed.

She heard someone, most likely Ron, cry in disgust from down stairs. She tore her eyes away from the baby crib and headed downstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, she immediately burst into laughter when she saw the three of them plugging their noses with absolutely disgusted looks on their faces.

"What happened?" She snorted.

"There is sixteen years of expired food in this fridge! I'm surprised the whole house isn't smelling!" Ron shrieked.

"Here, I'll clear it all." Katharine said walking over to the fridge, plugging her nose before she got a draft of it herself. She muttered a spell and waved her wand. In the blink of an eye, the food and smell was gone.

"Thank goodness." Ron breathed.

They all laughed. Then Harry spoke up.

"Well, I'm so tired. How about you guys?"

"I'm exhausted." Hermione cried.

"Well, there are two bedrooms upstairs. Your parent's room and a guest's room. Hermione and I can sleep in the guest's room," Katharine said.

"Sounds good to me. Hell, the floor even sounds good to me," Ron sighed.

"Same here," Harry agreed.

"Here are your trunks." Ron handed them all their tiny trunks.

Finally, they all headed up the stairs to bed. Hermione and Ron went to their own rooms after exchanging an awkward wave goodnight. Harry and Katharine chuckled together at their two ridiculous friends before giving each other a kiss goodnight and heading off to their separate rooms.

* * *

"Alright now, Harry. This is getting ridiculous. You said that we'd be out of here two weeks ago! Harry, Voldemort is bound to find us sooner or later!" Katharine argued with him.

"Well, he hasn't found us yet now has he? I've been looking for a place to stay and haven't found one yet. I'm sorry!" Harry said.

The four had all been searching occasionally for the three Horcruxes but with no luck. They had been staying in the cottage for over two weeks now and Katharine was starting to get worried. Either Ron and Hermione or Harry and Katharine would sneak off together to the market under the Invisibility Cloak to "steal" food.. It couldn't really be called stealing though because they would leave enough muggle money on the counter. Also, shortly after they had arrived, Kat and Hermione had given the house a thorough cleaning... But now, Katharine had a feeling that it was time to leave.

"What? Are you looking for some huge mansion for us to stay in? Harry, I have a feeling Voldemort already knows we're here, so I think we need to leave now!"

"Listen, Kat, I think Harry would know if Voldemort had a hunch of where we're staying. Right, Harry?" Ron interrupted.

"Um, yeah. I most likely would have a feeling or a dream perhaps, maybe even my scar would burn. But, I haven't had one yet so that's a good sign, right?"

"Whatever, Harry."

That night, Hermione and Katharine made sandwiches for them all. They ate them in the dining room together but with Harry and Katharine not speaking to each other. Ron was busy explaining a bit more about Quidditch to Hermione, but that was all Kat had gotten out of it before zoning out. Harry would occasionally look up at Kat, but she ignored him.

"Well, I'm off to bed," she suddenly said. Harry's eyebrows furrowed at her.

"At nine o' clock?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm tired all of a sudden."

"Well, I'll probably be up there in a half hour or so…" Hermione called after her.

"Alright," she said from the kitchen as she put her plate in the sink.

She climbed the stairs and went to hers and Hermione's bedroom. She changed into her pajama shirt and pants and jumped into bed. She turned her end table light out and snuggled up under the covers. She really was tired. Sitting around, doing nothing seemed to make one more tired than actually doing something. So within minutes, she fell asleep. She felt Hermione come in at some point, but she didn't say anything to her.

A few hours later, Katharine suddenly had a very strange feeling that someone was watching her and her eyes shot open. She looked around and realized that no one was there. Deciding that she was thirsty, she grabbed her wand out of habit and got up out of bed very quietly.

Shoving her wand in her pajama pocket, she checked her watch as she climbed down the stairs. It was only one thirty and she felt wide awake. The moon was shining through the windows enough for Katharine to see where she was walking. She went into the kitchen and grabbed her cup on the counter, filling it up in the sink with water. She gulped down the glass and placed it on the counter.

As soon as she turned around, she suddenly thought she saw a pair of eyes in the dark dining room. She moved a little closer suspiciously and instantly knew she saw a set of silver-blue eyes and that she was fucked.

As if it happened in fast forward, a man suddenly lunged at her and covered her mouth before she could scream. He pushed her and they both tumbled to the floor, Katharine's head colliding with the floor first, dazing her slightly. Unfortunately, they didn't make enough noise when they hit the floor. He laid on top of her as she struggled with all of her might, trying to ignore the stars flying around her vision. She couldn't see his face because of how dark it was on the floor. She struggled and screamed but her screaming only turned into muffled groans.

She suddenly felt a wand stab her left side. She groaned in pain and laid still.

"Very good. Thank you," said the man very coldly, still lying on top of her. "Now, Parker, you will listen to me very carefully and if you don't, you will only make matters more difficult and we don't want them more difficult than they already are." The man said.

But she knew that voice only too well.

"Mafo!" she shrieked but it was no use as it just turned into some made up word from his hand pressed to her mouth.

It was Draco Malfoy and she suddenly felt his hand down the pocket of her pants. She struggled even more as he pulled out her beloved wand. He then jabbed her even harder in the side with his wand again. She moaned in pain, knowing that would leave a bruise.

"Like I said, please don't make matters anymore difficult than they already are. If you do, there will be consequences. Or you know what? Better yet, I'll just cast a silencing charm on you." He said deviously. "Silencio!" he whispered.

"_Argh_!" she yelled but nothing came out. She would not let him take her; she would not go with him willingly. She struggled and fought and kicked and punched, but all of her attempts failed. Was it just her or had he beefed up over the summer?

Finally she somehow rolled out from under him and scrambled to her feet. She didn't get very far though... He apparently had very quick reflexes and grabbed hold of her ankle, bringing her back down to the floor.

"That's it!" he said in rage, as he leaped on top of her again. He stabbed her with his wand and muttered a spell, and she instantly was bound in some kind of rubber rope, making it impossible for her to move.

After finally having her under control, Malfoy grabbed her roughly, hoisted her up, and threw her over his shoulder.

As he quietly opened the front door, Katharine looked up momentarily as he was turned around to shut the door. An instant jolt of fear swept through her body and she knew she was done for.

There, at the end of the wooden gate was Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange.

"So? How did it go?" Snape asked impatiently as Malfoy carried Kat over to them.

"Much easier than I thought. Potter, Weasley, and Granger haven't suspected a thing," Malfoy smirked.

"Excellent. Let's go then. We don't want to keep Master waiting," Lestrange squealed. Then Katharine heard the distinct "crack" as Lestrange Disapparated.

"Well, you go first, Draco." Snape said.

Malfoy pulled out his wand and changed his holding position of Katharine into cradling her in his arms. Keeping her eyes away from Snape, she quickly glanced around Malfoy's arm at the cottage that she practically pleaded with her eyes to wake up and come and save her... And then her world started spinning.

She found that when someone is carrying you, it is much more nauseating to Disapparate. Finally, they landed hard as Malfoy's feet hit the ground, nearly giving her whiplash. He smirked down at her and proceeded down some long and dark corridor.

It felt moldy and soggy in the corridor they were in and she guessed that they were underground because there were absolutely no windows. There were a few lit candles hanging on the walls, but it wasn't enough light by means.

Malfoy turned left and walked down another corridor and then stopped in front of a big stone door.

He set Katharine down on her feet and took the silencing spell and the binding spell off of her. She didn't run and didn't scream because she knew that it would be totally pointless.

Malfoy suddenly wrapped his arm around her neck and opened the door.

The room looked just like the corridors did only there was a big chair in the middle of the room with the back facing them.

She knew whom was in it. She could feel his presence.

Malfoy dragged her over to face the front of the chair and threw her down in front of it. He then stumbled back into a corner and said coldly, "Here she is, my Lord."

Afraid to look up, Katharine stared at the floor.

"Oh, and here so soon?" Came the very same icy voice she once heard two and a half years ago...

"Look at me, child." He then demanded.

Katharine didn't budge.

"I said look at me!"

She then felt an unbelievable amount of force under her chin, making her head rise uncontrollably. She was forced to look right into his red eyes... And once again, she hated to admit that fear suddenly swept over her. For some reason, she was scared of Voldemort more now than she ever had been before. Maybe it was because she was alone, or maybe it was because she did not have her wand... For whatever reason, she knew that she was now helpless and there was nothing more she could do.


	3. Darkness Descending

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 3**

**Darkness Descending**

Voldemort laughed out loud. He grinned and moved a little closer towards Katharine so their faces were inches apart.

"I see now that you are feared by me. I must ask, weren't you the brave girl that told me at age fourteen that she was afraid of nothing? Am I not correct?" He smiled wide revealing his yellow, pointy teeth.

Katharine winced. She definitely didn't like being this close to the darkest wizard of all. She once again, stayed silent.

"Hmm… Obviously you have no manners. When someone asks you a question, it is polite to answer. Surely Dumbledore taught you better?" Voldemort said putting on a fake smile.

"Yes, but you on the other hand, are an exception," she said dully.

Next thing she knew, she felt an impact like a train run across the right side of her face, knocking her flat on the floor. She whimpered in pain as she clutched her cheek... Voldemort was much stronger than she thought _and_ he was left handed.

Voldemort stood up and hovered over her. As he spoke down upon her, she kept her face against the cold stone and protected her head from what might come next.

"As long as you're here, Parker, you will do as I say and you will obey me. If you choose not to, your punishment will always be pain. You ignored me twice and you talked back to me, so you will receive pain three more times... Crucio!" He yelled.

Suddenly, imaginary knives were stabbing Katharine from head to toe. She screamed and cried as the curse would not let up. She wriggled in pain for what seemed like forever until finally the spell was lifted and she collapsed.

She remained on her side immobile as she breathed heavily, taking in great big gulps of air.

"Painful, isn't it? Oh that's right, you already felt that in the graveyard. Let me try a different kind of pain then," Voldemort sneered.

He then kicked her so hard in the stomach, that it made her flip over. Suddenly, she was tasting rusty metal and realized blood was coming up her throat. Before she could catch her breath, she received another blow right to the ribs. Instant hot, stabbing sensation washed over her abdomen and up her spine. Tears streamed down her face as she began choking and spitting up her blood.

"Malfoy! Take her immediately!" Voldemort exclaimed in disgust.

Malfoy stumbled over to her from the corner and hesitantly scooped her up. As he ran out the door, Katharine's whole body was trembling in his arms... Or was that Malfoy shaking?

* * *

Hermione ran up the stairs two at a time towards Harry and Ron's bedroom, attempting to remain calm and to not overreact until she knew the whole truth. She slowly opened the door and blushed instantly at the scene. They were both sprawled out across the bed, completely zonked out and shirtless. Harry was lying on his stomach with Ron's arm flopped across his back. Ron was snoring so loudly that honestly, Hermione couldn't understand how Harry was able to sleep with a cow snoring next to him that was practically laying all over him.

She tiptoed to Harry's side and whispered in his ear, "Harry, do you by any chance know where Katharine is?"

Harry groaned quietly and rolled up onto his side. He rubbed his eyes and mumbled, "Huh?"

Hermione scowled, "I asked if you know where Katharine is or if you've seen her today."

Harry opened his eyes and looked at Hermione, or at least looked at the vicinity of where she was standing, "Hermione, how would I know where she is? I was asleep." He reached for his glasses on the night table and pushed them up his nose. He looked up to see Hermione glaring down at him with her hands on her hips. "Why?" He finally managed to get out as he laid his head back down on his pillow.

"Because she wasn't in bed this morning. I've looked out front, out back, and all over the house and I can't find her."

"When did you wake up?" He asked, trying to get all of the details before he was forced to get out of bed.

"About seven thirty. It's now almost nine o' clock and you have yet to step foot out of bed. I'm starting to get a little worried... She's never left like this before without a word." Hermione said. Harry could sense the worry in her voice and reluctantly decided that he had to get out of bed now.

He rolled over and poked Ron. "Get up you lazy oaf. We have to look for Kat."

"Shove off, Harry," Ron groaned shooing him with his hand and hitting Harry in the face by accident.

"Hey! Watch it!" Harry cried as he fixed his glasses.

"Oh, you boys are ridiculous," Hermione sighed as Harry kept poking Ron in the back like some annoying little five year old.

She walked over to the end of the bed and quickly ripped the blanket off the two of them, and then instantly wished she hadn't. She blushed beat-red, snorting loudly as she tried not to laugh at what she found under the covers.

Harry and Ron were in nothing but their boxers.

"WHAT THE HELL, HERMIONE!" They both shouted as they tried to cover themselves.

"Geez, what the hell did you guys do together last night? You two are completely disgusting!" Hermione made a horrified face but quickly changed it as she couldn't hold her giggles in any longer.

"Oh, shut up, Hermione," Ron growled as he got out of bed, "it's very uncomfortable for a guy to sleep in pajamas."

"You mean clothing in general," Hermione snickered.

"Well? May we have some privacy, please?" Harry growled, extending his arm towards the door.

Hermione blushed again. She hadn't realized that she had been standing there gaping at them.

"Oh! Well, by all means, go ahead! God only knows what goes on in here."

"Oh, shut it and just leave please," Ron said crossing his arms over his bare chest.

Hermione was overcome by another fit of giggles as she ran out the door.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and grinned widely.

* * *

Malfoy ran down the corridor, cradling Katharine in his arms as she continued to whimper in pain.

Finally, he slowed down as he came to another stone door and opened it with much difficulty as his hands were full.

New tears welled up in Katharine's eyes as she looked around a very small room that had no light what-so-ever, knowing that this was where she would be held captive.

Malfoy stepped inside and placed her gently on the stone floor... A little too gently... Katharine sighed heavily and then instantly regretted the movement as that hot stabbing sensation melted across her entire side and back again. She yelped in pain and even that hurt, so she finally choked up and simply let the tears fall into her long, matted hair. She was sure she had at least a cracked rib and some internal damage.

Malfoy muttered something and a lamp appeared out of thin air. He then tapped it and a little flame appeared in it. He placed it down next to Katharine and went to shut the door, leaving them in the very small room... Alone... He then came back and knelt down next to her.

Katharine eyed him suspiciously, not liking this situation at all. But then he pulled his cloak sleeve down to his finger tips and began wiping the blood off of her split lip.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, moving her head away from his touch. Malfoy had absolutely no reason to be helping her right now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think he would do this to you." He answered as he re-postioned himself on the floor and laid his hands in his lap. "Are you hurt badly?"

"It hurts to breathe..." She said slowly.

"You probably have some broken ribs from all of that kicking... I'll tell Snape to make a potion for you. _He_ can't just leave you here like this," he said speaking about Voldemort, now staring at his hands.

"I think Voldemort will do whatever he wants to do, as long as it means pain and torture is involved," Katharine said, clenching her jaw.

Malfoy nodded in agreement, but kept his head down, still staring at his hands.

"I don't understand you," Katharine said confusedly. Why was he being so nice to her?

He looked up and stared into her watery eyes, "I want to get you out of here, Katharine."

He called her by her first name... How... Weird.

She blinked back at him, face completely blank.

Apparently reading her confusion, he continued, "I know that doesn't make much sense because I just brought you here, but I had no choice. I had to kidnap you because Snape and Lestrange came along with me in case I didn't do it. So, I decided that I would kidnap you and then get you out of here." He was watching her cautiously as if prepared to run if she were to charge at him.

"You sure didn't seem like you were pretending back there when you kidnapped me," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I had no _choice_." He said, throwing his hands up for emphasis. "If I had made you believe that I really didn't want to kidnap you, they would have noticed something odd and then I wouldn't have been able to help you."

Katharine shook her head. "Why do you want to help me? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because you're a good person and you don't deserve this. You haven't done anything to put yourself in this position... I do, though. I deserve this. I've done some horrible things that you and I both know about. Especially to you and Potter... And I have no choice. I was born and raised to become one of them. I am one and will always be... One of them." He looked back down at his hands and fiddled with them.

Then, it suddenly hit her.

"D- Do you, you know, have it?" She asked hoping that he knew what she was talking about.

"Not yet," he answered, subconsciously rubbing his left arm.

"When are you supposed to get it?"

"I don't know."

Katharine paused... "They... They want me to get it, don't they?"

Malfoy looked up with a new expression on his face... Empathy.

"Yes," he said softly.

Kat looked down at her hands. She couldn't think of any other time where she had felt so trapped.

"Is that the only reason why I'm here?"

"No. They're also using you to, of course, get to Potter. Basically as bate," he answered.

"So, they're using me to get to Harry and they want me to join them?" She asked, trying to piece it all together.

"Yeah..." He answered pitifully.

She sighed. "So, how do you plan on helping me get out of here?"

"I don't know. A safe, quick, and easy way I guess," he shrugged.

Kat frowned, but nodded in understanding.

"Well, I have to go or they'll wonder where I am. I can't stay with you for too long," Malfoy said, standing up. "I can't give you much without getting caught either. They watch me like a hawk here. But I'll get Snape to make that potion for you. It should take him a few hours and he has no choice because I'll ask my father to tell him. Will you be alright?"

"No, but I'll manage," she said.

Malfoy faintly smiled at her and turned to leave.

Katharine cleared her throat and said, "Draco, wait..."

He spun around, his eyes opened a little wider than normal. Possibly surprised that she said his name.

She smiled faintly, "Thank you... I always knew that you were a good man. You just never saw it in yourself."

"Thanks," he nodded tightly. "Oh, and I have to lock the door. I know you won't try to leave, but if they see that I didn't put a charm on it, then I'll be dead." Katharine shivered at the thought. He gave her a comforting smile before he closed the door and left her in near darkness aside from the lamp he had placed by her.

She heard Draco mutter a locking charm on the door. She then leaned her head back against the wall and watched the little flame in the lamp beside her. Oh, why did she have to go downstairs for a drink alone?

Thinking about how odd it still was that Draco wanted to help her, she reached up to rub her sore neck and felt the chain. Surprised, she grabbed the gold chain and pulled out her Time Turner from under her pajama shirt.

She had forgotten that she even had it on. She automatically thought about using it to get her out of here, but then decided that it would be too risky and the outcome probably wouldn't change...

It was just the beginning of her sixth year when she got it. She had signed up for more classes than she could take just like Hermione had done in their third year. Hermione swore she'd never do it again because it was just too complicating and too dangerous. Katharine, however, signed up for more classes than she could handle and wouldn't give up any of them, no matter how many times Hermione tried to convince her to drop them. It's not like she meant to, she just wanted to do so much after passing most of her OWL's in her fifth year.

Dumbledore, the Professors, and the Ministry of Magic decided that she would have to use a Time Turner during her sixth year. After the year ended, she never had a chance to give it back, after Dumbledore's death and all. So she just kept it. She knew that she would never use it again, but she just liked to wear it. It was sort of a memory of Dumbledore to her because he was the one that had given it to her.

She touched it's cool, gold rim. It shimmered as the flame from the lamp reflected on it. It was such a pretty necklace once you thought about it. It was so tiny, yet so powerful.

She pulled the collar of her shirt out and dropped the necklace back underneath. She leaned her head back against the wall and looked around the room.

Her toes could barely touch the opposite wall. Oh how awful this was. It was like a broom cupboard. Now she knew how Harry must have felt living under the stairs most of his life at the Dursleys.

She suddenly realized how tired she really was. She looked at her watch that read four o' clock and decided that she should just think past the pain in her side and sleep for a while.

* * *

"Harry! HARRY!" Hermione hysterically yelled from downstairs.

Harry finished fastening his jeans and grabbed his clean T-shirt, quickly pulling it on as he ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He jumped down the last two and ran to the front door where Hermione stood with a piece of parchment in her hands.

"What? What's the matter?" He asked frantically.

"Look." She thrust the parchment into Harry's hand. "I found it sticking out from under the door matt on the porch. I don't know how I missed it earlier! It's from Snape, Harry."

Harry tried to ask her with his eyes if he really should read it, which she seemed to understand and nodded for him to proceed. Just when Harry looked down and began to read the letter, Ron came flying down the stairs and peered over his shoulder.

_To the famous Harry Potter,_

_While you were fast asleep Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and myself kidnapped your dear girlfriend. It's a pity you weren't awake to stop us. If you ever want to see her again then come find her yourself. It's nothing more than a fair trade, Potter. Your life…for hers. And don't think that her stay here will be luxurious. She will take a bit of time and pain, as you will know, to persuade into becoming a Death Eater._

_We'll be waiting…_

_Severus Snape_

Harry read and reread the letter three times to make sure he wasn't misreading it. Panic suddenly swept over him as he finally crumbled the letter up into a ball.

"Harry…?" Ron asked tentatively.

Harry didn't answer. He just kept squeezing and twisting the parchment as his hands started to sweat.

"Harry, it's a trap and you know it. They're going to do this to her whether we come to save her or not. They're waiting for us to come and when we do, they'll kill you. Like he wrote, 'Your life for hers.'" Ron paused and took a deep breath. "I know you love her, Harry; we all do. But, I know and you know Katharine would want you to finish the search for the Horcruxes with or without her. She wouldn't want you to lose your life for hers. She believes in you and knows that you are the only one who can defeat-" he stopped short. "Voldemort," he finished.

"But… I can't just leave her there. They'll torture her to death." Harry's whole body was now shaking with fear. He couldn't even imagine what they've already done to her.

"She's a strong girl, Harry. She'll fight as long and hard as she can - she may even find a way out. There's just… There's nothing we can do now except continue our journey and hope we finish it soon. You know that's what she'd want." Hermione said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know." Harry paused. "Alright, we'll continue our task. There's nothing we can do…"

* * *

Katharine was startled awake when she heard the door open. Her eyes flickered as someone suddenly shoved a goblet to her lips and a gooey substance went down her throat. It was awfully disgusting.

"For your ribs, Parker," Snape sneered as he stood up. With that, he slammed the door shut without another word.

Katharine gagged and smacked her lips loudly. She then sighed slowly as to not feel that sharp pain again. She was still very sore, and it didn't really help much by sleeping on the floor. She checked her watch that read twelve thirty pm. She couldn't believe how the time flew, especially since she hadn't been able to fall into a deep sleep. Every movement she made felt like a dozen needles were jabbing her in the side.

The room was still as dark as it was before. That confirmed her question about being underground. She tried to get up but cried in pain as her ribs poked her insides. She fell back down painfully and leaned against the wall.

The room was much hotter than it was early this morning. It was, after all, still summer and on top of it, they were underground where it was muggy and steamy. She now tried to figure out where she even was, mostly to keep her mind busy and preoccupied.

A few minutes later she suddenly felt the potion work and felt her ribs heal in a matter of seconds. She sighed in relief and for once in several hours, she felt almost no pain. Then, she heard someone outside of the door speak and she looked up at the door.

It swung open quickly and she pressed herself even more against the wall when she saw Lucius Malfoy come into the room. She scooted over into the corner subconsciously as she pointlessly tried to get away from him. Malfoy sneered and glided up to her. He grabbed her arm roughly and yanked her up onto her feet.

"Master would like to speak with you," he said as he dragged her out of the room, literally dragged her as she stumbled so often because she hadn't quite stood on her legs for some time. They walked down the corridor, took a right, and walked down a long way until they came right up to the same door that Draco had taken her to early that morning.

Malfoy opened the door and pushed her in, snickering as he shut the door behind her. And there she was, in that room with the big chair again. Only thing different this time was that she was completely alone with Voldemort.

"Come here, Parker." His icy voice came from the front of the chair.

Katharine did as she was told and slowly walked up to face him. Her mentality now had completely changed towards him and she hated herself for ever fearing his low life. She knew deep down that he was nothing more than a coward and acted on pain and torture, thinking that was his only way of receiving obedience. Well, she had news for him. She didn't buy it nor would she cave. She looked at him in the eyes as he spoke to her, no longer afraid of him.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

Deciding that she did not want to get beaten up again for not answering him, she simply said, "Not really."

He laughed, but it was more of an understanding sound. "Nor did I. I never sleep," he said.

Katharine remained silent and showed no expression across her face. Instead, she turned her gaze to the floor.

"I expect Draco told you why you're here?"

"Yes."

"Yes, Sir to you." Voldemort corrected her.

Katharine mentally screamed at him before saying, "Yes, Sir."

"And? Have you made your choice? You know, it would be a much easier life; not having to worry about being in danger; not having to hide all of the time-"

"What makes you think I would ever join you?" Katharine interrupted looking him straight in the eyes again, "I have no desire to torture innocent people. I don't want to be a murderer. I would never be faithful to someone who takes pleasure in killing muggles and muggle borns. I am not going to bow down and kiss your feet if you order me to. And, I will never become a Death Eater." Katharine finished and was proud of herself for standing up to him, but now knew that she had to go through the "consequences" for her "actions." Yet this time, she was ready.

"Well, we will see what you think after this." Voldemort snapped his fingers and the door suddenly swung open.

Lucius Malfoy came striding into the room, his long blonde hair whipping past him. He pointed his wand at Katharine and shouted, "_Everte Statum_!"

The spell hit her abdomen and she instantly flew backwards. It knocked the wind out of her as she collided with the wall and slid down hard to the floor.

Malfoy was there in an instant and kicked her hard in the stomach again. Of course he was even stronger than Voldemort, physically at least.

As soon as she gulped for air, he then cried, "Crucio!" and once again, Katharine felt pain wash all over her body.

He lifted the spell, then grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her up. He threw her against the wall and punched her left cheek as hard as he could. Unable to hold herself up any long, she slid down but was pulled right back up to receive another blow to the side of her mouth, making her bite her cheek and instantly split it open. Punch after punch she received until the skin on her cheek bone finally split open and had already swelled so badly that her eye was starting to close. She fell back down, gasping for air and was expecting another pull up and another fist to her cheek until it killed her... But, it didn't come.

Malfoy backed away a bit as Voldemort spoke.

"Changed your mind at all?" He asked with a little too much happiness in his voice.

Katharine spat blood on the floor and narrowed her eyes up at him. Adrenaline was seeping through her veins and she no longer felt pain or fear... For now at least.

"Pain and torture won't break me." She said flatly. "You are nothing more than a coward and deserve to rot in hell."

Before she knew it, Malfoy ran and kicked her hard in the stomach again. She choked and gulped for breath... She hadn't been expecting that one.

"That was for insulting the Dark Lord!" He yelled as he backed away again.

"Thank you, Lucius, but it's quite alright. I can see that she will take some time. If you will, take her back to her room." Voldemort said waving them away with his long, lanky arm.

Malfoy stepped forward and dragged her all the way back to her room. He came up to her door, opened it, and threw her in.

"Bellatrix will be here shortly to get you cleaned up, unfortunately, on Master's orders." He then slammed the door shut.

Katharine rolled onto her back and breathed heavily as if she had just finished a marathon, her heart beating through her chest. She coughed and gagged helplessly and was sweating profusely, but she didn't care. She didn't care anymore about pain. She didn't care anymore if they tortured her. She would NEVER give in and that's all there was to it.

All that she worried about now was that Harry would come to save her. She didn't want him to. She knew what they were going to do to him. It scared her that Harry would risk his life to save her. It made her angry that he would be so foolish to do just that. She prayed that he wouldn't come. She prayed that he would forget about her and finish his task. After all, there was nothing he could do.

* * *

Harry laid on his bed staring at a picture of him and Katharine. She was smiling her beautiful smile and staring right back at him. She giggled as Harry in the picture kissed her cheek. She then turned and kissed him on the lips. Then it went back to her smiling and Harry kissing her on her cheek. He stared at the picture as it kept repeating and repeating.

It had been at least a month since Katharine had been kidnapped. Harry now felt more lousy and worthless. He couldn't think about anything or anyone except Katharine. He wasn't able to think about the Horcruxes and he wasn't able to think about where they could be anymore. They had found one, however, after visiting Grimmauld Place and finding out about the locket from Kreacher the House Elf. They had to visit the Ministry of Magic which was a bust, let's just say. They have managed to escape with the locket, however now they were faced with the issue of how they were going to destroy it.

However, the Horcruxes didn't matter anymore to him... They should... But they didn't.

He was getting sick of the feeling that Katharine was in horrible danger and that she was probably tortured everyday.

He had to find her. He couldn't take it anymore. He knew it was foolish and he knew he shouldn't go after her, but he had to.

He rolled over, sat up straight, and laid the picture on his pillow. He then jumped off of the bed and began packing his backpack. He wasn't bringing much, just some extra clothing and some food and water. He then flung it over his shoulder and headed down stairs.

He entered the living room and found Ron and Hermione on the couch cuddling. The two gits had finally told each other how they felt, even though it hadn't been very difficult because they both had already known their feelings for each other. Harry was happy for them, but was still annoyed that it had to take _him_ to be the one to get them together.

Hermione was leaning her head on Ron's shoulder with his head rested upon hers, as he stroked her thick, wavy hair. They immediately looked up as he entered the room.

"Er - I have decided that I'm going after Katharine. You can come if you want but I'd, of course, rather you didn't." Harry said, adjusting his backpack.

Ron stood up immediately, "Of course we're coming with you... Are you sure about this, Harry?"

"Yes. I can't take it anymore knowing that she's in danger."

"Well, 'nough said," Ron nodded.

"Alright. I'll go pack a few things." Hermione said, getting up from the couch and climbing the stairs. Ron laid a hand on Harry's shoulder and smiled reassuringly. He then proceeded after Hermione up the stairs.

Harry had been waiting only a few minutes on the couch when they both came back down the stairs with their backpacks.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"Yup." They both replied.

"Let's go, then."

They set off into the evening light. It was getting dark outside now and the moon was already shining up in the dark blue sky.

"I guess we'll look in the grave yard first. That should be a good start." He asked as he hoisted his backpack up a little more.

Harry then pulled out his wand and grabbed Ron's hand, who grabbed Hermione's, who grabbed Harry's arm. He then raised his wand and the three were suddenly lifted from the ground and spun round and round in the air. Then, they all landed with a hard jolt.

After their eyes had focused and stopped spinning, they looked around their surroundings and found themselves in the grave yard as planned. They had landed right in front of the tombstone that Harry and Katharine were tied to nearly three years ago.

Horrible memories filled Harry's head. The graveyard had an icy atmosphere to it. Just looking around gave him the chills and made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He shook away the memories and examined the tomb stone in front of him. He looked over it, turned to walk away but immediately made a double take as he saw something stick out from under a rock. Stepping closer, he saw piece of parchment wedged underneath and snatched it. How would they have known...

He tore the envelope open as Ron and Hermione leaned over his shoulders.

_I figured that this would be your first stop, Potter. Well, if you're quite sure you want to find your girlfriend then let me just give you a hint of where we are. If you look straight ahead, there is a mountain. You will find us in the forest, but when you get up there, you are on your own to try and find us. I'll give you one more hint though, where we are hiding, there are no windows…_

"No windows?" Ron asked confused.

"Hmm... You don't think... They're underground, do you?" Well of course! Hermione is the brainiac after all...

"It's worth a try. Come on," Harry said leading them to the forest mountain a couple miles away. Harry prayed that Snape, most likely the one who wrote the letter, was telling the truth...

* * *

Today was the day, a very early Saturday morning. Draco and Katharine had secretly figured out a way for her to escape. They at first thought of disapparating out of the place, but they found out that Voldemort had placed a powerful charm around the whole premises, so they wouldn't even dare try that. They were going to do the only thing they could do- sneak out.

Draco decided that the right time to sneak out would be around 1 to 2 a.m. because there weren't as many Death Eaters patrolling the corridors as the day time. He had also finally convinced his father to tell Voldemort that he was totally capable of patrolling Katharine's room. Voldemort agreed.

Over the near month Katharine had been there, she had continually been beaten for not joining Voldemort. Everyday Lucius Malfoy would come to her room and take her to Voldemort. Everyday he would ask her the same question in his sly voice, "Have you changed your mind?" Everyday she would say no and everyday she had the shit beat out of her. But, she never gave in.

Bellatrix Lestrange would come to her room twice a day to take her to the bathroom and to wash up, which lets just say, was a very awkward experience as Bellatrix just stood there and watched Katharine. Twice a day wasn't enough though when she was continually beaten and her cuts would reopen. Plus, she would sweat uncontrollably from the heat in the room. Bellatrix had also given her a pair of robes that she changed into while her pajamas were washed, or at least _rinsed_. Then she would change back into her pajamas when the robes got dirty.

Katharine was so bruised, that she thought her bruises were permanent. She was mostly skin and bones now since they never fed her. Draco would try to bring her food as much as he could, but Lucius caught Draco one day and threatened him that if he ever brought her food again, then he would make sure that he was not allowed to watch her door anymore. So, deciding that would totally blow their cover, Katharine told Draco that it was not worth it and that she would be alright.

She was always hungry, but that was a part of her "punishment." All she was allowed to have in her room was a warm pitcher of water and some stale bread. She, however, was still very dehydrated. A pitcher of water wasn't enough since the heat in her room drained her horribly and she would just sweat the water right out of her system.

So now, Katharine was once again sitting on the warm floor in her room, leaning against the wall after taking yet another painful beating after refusing Voldemort. She was getting so sick of this and was wondering when Voldemort would give up on her. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to take this before she would simply die. She sure felt like dying right about now... She had been waiting all of this time for the day when Voldemort would give up on her and just kill her. But, she just supposed that he really wanted her to be a Death Eater and didn't care how long it took, even though she would never join no matter what. Or she supposed that he just enjoyed watching her be beaten. Whatever the reason was, she knew that Voldemort was a sick man and she was just thankful that she wasn't being molested or worse...

Katharine checked her watch as she waited for Draco to come and get her. It read ten minutes after one a.m. Draco would be here in five minutes and she was starting to get very anxious.

What if they get caught? What if they find out that Draco helped her? What if they kill him for it?

These questions and more had filled Katharine's mind the whole month she'd been there. But she couldn't think about it. She had to stay calm and only think about getting out of here.

Suddenly, three till one fifteen, she heard a loud "bang" and then a soft grumble outside her door. She sat up straight and leaned her ear against the wall.

She heard footsteps and something sliding across the floor. She growled and leaned back against the wall, pursing her lips and tightly crossing her arms. She hated being locked up in here and not knowing what the hell was going on outside.

Then, her door swung open, nearly giving her a heart attack. She started back towards the corner, but then saw that it was Draco.

"What was that?" She asked breathlessly.

"Blaise Zambini was still in the corridors and I had to get rid of him. Never mind now. You ready?" He asked seeming very out of breath as well.

"Uh... Yeah. Like I have anything better to do, " she said sarcastically with a quirked eye brow. She rolled over and laid all of her weight on her hands as she tried to stand up. She was so weak and could hardly stand. Her ribs would probably never heal properly.

Draco carefully grabbed her arm and helped her up. He wrapped her arm around his neck and grabbed her waist with his other arm to hold her upright.

"We have to move very quickly because someone will have heard that. It's alright, though-," he added at the worried look on her face, "I'll get you out of here tonight. I promise."

They quickly, but with much difficulty, hustled down the corridor. They went left, then right, then another left. Then, Katharine gasped when she saw a shadow around the corner coming their way.

She stumbled when Draco suddenly backed up and headed back down the corridor. He held on to her, but practically dragged her as they ran around the corner and hid. They both stood flat against the wall in the shadows, holding their breath as the hooded figure walked by.

When the Death Eater was out of site, Katharine turned to Draco. His eyes were majorly dilated and his jaw was clenched tightly. He stared back at her, then slightly nodded and took her by the arm again.

They limped down the corridor as Katharine tried her best to keep up with Draco. They turned another left and stopped. Katharine growled at the stone staircase in front of her. She then took a deep breath and she and Draco stepped up.

"Watch your head," Draco said after they took several steps up. The ceiling was getting lower and lower as they climbed the staircase, making them have to crouch down. He then grabbed Katharine's waist tighter so that she wouldn't fall down the stairs as he felt the ceiling with his other hand.

He ran his hand along, obviously feeling for something. Suddenly, he stopped upon a loose stone, pulled his balled up fist back, and punched it. The stones started to separate above them and crumbles of dust—no, it smelled like dirt—fell upon their heads and into their eyes. They both shook their heads off as they climbed out of the hole.

Katharine cherished her first step out onto the soft grass. She ran her toes through it remembering every blade of grass she stepped on. Amazed that was so easy, she let go of Draco.

They were in a thick forest with no light of the moon what-so-ever.

And for the first time in a long time, Katharine smiled. She took a deep breath, taking in the rich aroma of the fresh, autumn trees. She stepped forward and ran her fingers across the tough bark of the tree in front of her. She turned around and smiled at Draco.

"Thank you," she said as tears stung her eyes. Draco stepped forward and took her into a tight, painful hug, but she didn't mind.

"I can't believe it!" She exclaimed as they broke apart and she twirled round and round with her arms stretched wide, nearly toppling over.

"Oh, and you might need this," he said as he pulled a thin stick out of his cloak pocket. Katharine stopped abruptly and watched him. He held out her wand and she slowly took it. She liked her wand very much. It was 10 ½ inches made of willow and had a tail hair of her favorite chestnut winged horse, the Aethonan.

"Thanks," she whispered, still admiring her wand and then stuffing it down her pajama pocket.

"Come on, you've got to get out of here now," Draco said, wiping away his smile.

"Draco please, please come with me," she begged him.

"I can't, Kat—,"

"Yes you can!" She stepped forward and took his hands. "Please, come with me. You don't deserve this life, a—and—they'll know you helped me, Draco, and they'll kill you. Why can't you come with me?" She spoke softly as a tear rolled down her cheek.

He let go of her hand and wiped her tear with his thumb. "Katharine, you're truly the only friend I've ever had. You've made me realize that I don't deserve this life and that I must stand up to Voldemort and my father. I will never be free if I run away and didn't stand up to them. I must do this, Kat... I must."

She didn't know what to say. She didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong. So, she instead, stretched up and pecked him on the cheek.

"You've been with me this whole time and have shown me true bravery, something that I have never seen in you before," she raised her eye brows, smiling and went on, "But, I don't think that you risking your life to go back to him just to say you won't follow him is worth it. Please, I beg you, come back with me."

He stared into her now pail, brown eyes. She was so weak, tired, and very malnourished. He shook his head and slowly leaned his head in towards her.

"I can't," he whispered in her ear. He gently kissed her on the cheek and backed away. "Now, you have to get out of here before—,"

He stopped abruptly when he heard shuffling footsteps from behind him down the tunnel.

"Katharine! You must go! We've wasted too much time! You have to go, now!" He screeched as he tried to push her away.

The footsteps became louder and louder and they knew they were getting close.

"No! I can't leave without you! They'll kill you!" She cried as she weakly punched him in the chest. She wouldn't give up. He needed to come with her.

He ignored her punch and yelled, "Will you stop being so stubborn and get out of here!" He gave her another shove.

She slowly stepped back and stared at him for what she hoped wasn't the last time. He clenched his jaw again and practically bowed up to her, making her finally realized she must leave. They shared one last glance before she turned around sprinted as fast as her bare feet could take her.

She merged left and right between the trees, stomping on sticks and stones as she ran. She really couldn't feel pain anymore as the sharp stones and sticks sliced her feet.

Suddenly, she emerged into a bright, grassy area with no trees. The moon above was shining right down into this circle. Confused that there was this really weird, treeless circle in the middle of the forest, she ran into the middle of the opening of light and couldn't help but stop.

It had been over a month since she had seen the moon, or even light and she couldn't help that she was absolutely mesmerized. She turned round and round getting a different view of the stars as she turned. But then...

"Katharine!"

She spun around so fast that she almost fell over. She looked around, going in circles for the person that called her name. She knew who it was. It was the one person she had been longing to see, touch, and hear for nearly a month.

She stopped and watched the place where sticks crunched and snapped, a smile appearing on her face and her insides fluttering. She saw a hand move a leafy branch out of the way and then his shape slowly emerged from the shadows.


	4. The Final Battle

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 4**

**The Final Battle**

Katharine's eyes opened wide as she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione come out of the trees. She stood there for less than a second, completely amazed that Harry was standing just over there smiling back at her... Then she remembered why she had been running and she sprinted to the astonished trio, grabbing Harry's arm and dragging him a few feet over.

"What are you doing here? You all shouldn't be here! We have to go! Now! We have to go!" She spat over her shoulder as she glanced back to see if anyone was coming. All of her thoughts were spilling out of her mouth as she kept rambling on and on, attempting to get the three out of the forest.

"Oh Katharine, look at you! What-" Hermione began.

"Never mind, we just have to go NOW!" She started to run backwards and the three started to follow, but it was too late.

"If I were you Potter, I would have listened to the mudblood," came that icy voice from behind them.

There, standing on the other side of the treeless circle was Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and Draco. Katharine's eyes lingered from Draco, to Voldemort, then back to Draco. His hands were bound and his father had a tight grip on his arm. He looked up at her and shook his head in disappointment... Dammit, she was so stupid for wasting time!

Harry then grabbed Katharine's arm, spun her around, and stood in front of her. He kept a firm hold of her forearm as she looked over to see that Ron had done the exact same thing to Hermione. Even at a time like this, Harry and Ron made Katharine smile.

"You've tortured Katharine enough and I swear if you take one more step—,"

"You'll do what?" Voldemort interrupted as he took one step forward, teasing Harry.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was so tired from climbing this mountain but his adrenaline was high and he felt like he could take on ten mountain trolls. He then opened his eyes and looked at Voldemort.

"I'll kill you," he simply said.

Harry was now holding Katharine's arm so tightly, that her hand was turning blue. She placed her other hand on top of his to comfort him and to loosen up a bit.

"We'll see about that," Voldemort said, laughing as he took one more step forward.

Harry instinctively ripped out his wand and held it high towards Voldemort. Unfazed by this, he smiled and snapped his fingers towards Lucius Malfoy. Lucius obeyed and dragged his son over to Voldemort, untied his wrists, and threw him down in front of the four teens.

"He has apparently helped your little mudblood friend escape from me. He is no longer of use to me and I will, just to be kind, give you another hand," Voldemort sneered.

Harry looked around to Katharine and gave her a questioning look.

"It's true. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead by now." She and Harry simultaneously shivered at the thought.

Harry then let go of her wrist and stretched out his hand for Draco to grab, whom clearly sighed with relief as he took hold of Harry's hand and stood up. Then they all assumed posistions side by side facing Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Harry straightened up and grinned, "Well then, let the Final Battle begin."

A numerous amount of things happened at that exact moment. Harry threw a spell at Voldemort who was ready and deflected it. Katharine ducked from a spell sent to her by Snape. Hermione took a spell hard from Bellatrix Lestrange but got right back up and threw another one back at her. Ron sent a spell towards Crabb who wasn't expecting it and flew backwards to the ground. Draco took on his father in a duel.

Several more Death Eaters joined in and it now became pretty much a two-or-three-on-one duel. Spells were flying everywhere and bodies were flying everywhere. All you could hear were people screaming and shouting spells, loud crashes and big bangs, and at other times it went silent. Later on it became difficult to see. Bright sparks and smoke filled the air and it became harder for everyone to breathe, see, or aim their spells.

About an hour or so had passed and the Battle had slowed down a bit. Harry was still in an exhausting duel with Voldemort and could barely stand anymore. Hermione had killed two Death Eaters, one by sending him backwards high up into a tree, causing her neck to break; and the other by bursting him into flames - which Katharine had to admit that was pretty epic. Draco had stunned his father and killed another Death Eater as well. Ron had stunned three Death Eaters at the same time after an exhausting duel with three on one.

After a long and difficult duel with Snape, surprisingly, Katharine managed to stun him. After she had bound him up tightly, she turned around to look at her surroundings. She saw Draco and Ron through the smoke not far off dueling with two Death Eaters and saw Hermione a little closer taking a breather behind a tree. She searched through the smoke for Harry and Voldemort and found Harry hiding behind a tree. She leaped into the woods and raced to him through the low branches.

"Come on out, Potter, and fight me like a man! Don't be a coward and hide from me!" Voldemort hollered behind them.

"Harry-," Katharine breathed heavily as she fell next to him. "It's going to be alright. You're doing great, we will get through this." She encouraged, grabbing his head and resting her forehead against his. He was in a cold sweat and was trembling terribly.

Harry exhaled deeply as he felt the warmth of her skin against his cold, sweaty forehead. He grabbed her hands and gently pressed his lips against them, exhaling again. "I will now get through this knowing that you're still alive."

Katharine smiled and squeezed his hands in response. She pulled him up to his feet and was about to bring him back around the tree to face Voldemort again, when Harry pulled her back and kissed her strongly.

"Whatever happens, Katharine, please know that I love you with all of my heart. You're my everything," he said as they broke apart.

"I love you more than anything else, Harry. Nothing is going to happen. I am right here, by your side from now on." They hugged each other tightly for one last time, Katharine barely paying attention to the grinding pain of her ribs. Then, very slowly, they revealed themselves from behind the tree. They stood side by side in front of the sneering Voldemort with their wands in their hands and their other hands intertwined.

Then, like complete idiots, Harry and Katharine weren't ready and their wands flew straight out of their hands towards Voldemort, whom caught them easily.

"Well, isn't this sweet? Now the Famous Harry Potter and the Great Katharine Parker will die happily together. Just think of a happy place where you two can be together forever, then it will all be over soon," he laughed.

Trembling and knowing there was now nothing they could possibly do, Katharine's eyes started to swell up and Harry tightened his grip on her hand as he felt her shake.

For some reason, Hogwarts suddenly flashed across Kat's eyes and it made her realize just how much she missed it there; where she was most happy, where she had felt complete.

As if it happened in fast forward yet again, Katharine saw Voldemort point his wand towards Harry, heard him cry, "_Avada Kadavra!_", and instinctively let go of Harry's hand and leaped in front of him. She saw an enormous green light and then felt a sudden sharp, searing pain melt through her chest like knifes were seeping right through her skin. Something warm began to trickle down her chest when she fell back and landed in Harry's arms, whom was repeatedly crying out her name in agony.

As her mind slowly began to process through how it was possible that she still had all of her senses when it thought she should be dead, a sudden amount of force rammed against her and she felt her body leave the earth. The last thing she saw was Harry's watery green eyes...

Spinning, and spinning, and spinning, she thought she was going to be sick. She couldn't breathe. It felt like two gigantic hands were closing around her neck and ribs, squeezing her tighter and tighter. She tried to open her eyes, but the impact of spinning and the force on her body made it difficult to do anything. She felt her barf come up even though she had nothing to barf up, until she suddenly and very painfully, slammed against the ground.

Huffing and puffing, her vision still spinning, she rolled over as her insides finally came up. She coked, coughed, spat, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She rolled onto her back and tried to slow down, tried to stop spinning. She dizzily clutched her searing chest but let go immediately, yelping out loud as she felt something tear deeper into her skin. As her vision began to clear up, she looked at her hand that had clutched her chest and saw that the tips of her fingers were bloody. Her eyes fluttered shut. She just couldn't move anymore. What the hell has happened and why is everything so quiet?

Moaning in agony with tears streaming down into her matted hair, she all of a sudden felt a weak vibration in the ground underneath her. She instantly tensed up and clutched the earth with her finger nails, fearing that Voldemort had realized that she was still alive and was coming after her to finish her off.

The vibration felt stronger and stronger, and then she could hear it. It sounded like running footsteps. She heard people yelling, but she couldn't comprehend what they were saying. She was so scared and she couldn't even find her feet to run away.

Then, her view of the starry sky above her was obstructed by a black figure. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to focus as the person cowering over her spoke to her. She shook her head to try to focus that way, but that only made her more nauseous. Then, three more black figures closed in around her and she panicked that she couldn't do anything. They yelled at her but she felt deaf to what they were saying.

Eyes tightly shut with her hands clasped over her ears, she yelled, "Stop it, please! Stop! Don't touch me! Leave me alone, please!"

She felt someone grab her wrists and pull her arms down to her side. She slowly opened her eyes and was finally able to clearly make out four boys kneeling and hovering on either side of her. They were positively NOT Death Eaters.

The one who had hold of her wrists was nearly on top of her and looked oddly familiar. He was a tall and handsome, nicely muscular boy with messy, jet black hair and hazel eyes behind thin, circle rimmed glasses. The one next to him was handsome, and had black hair that sat on his shoulders and pale gray eyes. The first one on her left was a bit skinny, had messy, sand colored hair and brown eyes. The last one was a short, pudgy boy with light brown hair and small brown eyes.

Katharine's conscience and senses came back to her at last and she was becoming aware of what was going on around her. The sandy haired boy kept asking her if she was alright, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of the boy right above her. He looked so much like him...

"Ha-Harry?" She softly asked.

The boy looked confused but answered, "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else. My name is James Potter. I'm here to help you."

"Wh-What?" She choked out as she attempted to sit up.

Suddenly, all hands were on her and held her down as the Harry-Look-Alike spoke again, "Miss, please lie down. You are in terrible condition. I need to get you to the Infirmary-,"

"James Potter?" She repeated.

"Yes Ma'am, I'm James Potter," he said awkwardly and gave her a questioning look.

Within the next second, Katharine fainted.

* * *

James quickly slid his arms under the girl and cradled her. He ran as fast as he could, with his other three companions trailing behind him, to get this poor girl help. Whatever she's been through has been pretty much like hell.

He looked down at her poor bruised face. One of her eyes was so swollen, it was almost shut and her chest was bleeding badly - not that he was looking at her _chest_, but it was a little hard to ignore the blood seeping out of it.

She was extremely malnourished, practically skin and bones. Her clothes were grungy and her hair was so matted, it looked like it hadn't been brushed in weeks.

And for some reason, he felt some instant connection with her...

They ran across Hogwarts' grounds as fast as they could and ran to the big oak doors. Remus quickly pulled open one door and let him run through with the limp girl in his arms. Running down corridors, taking short cuts, taking steps three at a time up the stairs, the boys finally reached the Hospital Wing.

They barged through the doors as they hollered for Madam Pomfrey. Remus and Peter ran to the back of the Wing to her office.

"Thank goodness no one is staying in the Hospital Wing tonight," James said to Sirius, looking around before he gently placed the girl on a bed closest to the medicine cabinet.

Remus, Peter, and Madam Pomfrey came hustling back to the girl's bedside.

"Oh, dear! What on earth happened? She looks awful! The poor thing!" She cried as she bustled through the cabinet.

"We don't know. We were just walking on the Grounds when we saw her appear in mid-air," Sirius explained.

"In mid-air?" Madam Pomfrey asked, still going through all of her supplies.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Is she a witch? Muggle?" She asked as she began preparing an IV for the unconscious girl.

"We don't know," Peter squeaked.

"She didn't say very much until she fainted. She had thought that James was a boy named Harry and when he told her his name, she fainted," Remus explained.

Madam Pomfrey turned to watch James intriguingly before saying, "Alright. Now, I need you four to go get the Headmaster immediately.".

The four boys nodded obediently and hurried off to get their Headmaster.


	5. Remembering Things

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

** Chapter 5**

**Remembering Things**

The four teenagers ran down the hall as fast as they could and were in front of the entrance to the Headmaster's office before they knew it. James opened his mouth, about to say the password but then shut it again as he realized that he didn't even know the password.

"Uh, does anyone even know the password?" He asked stupidly.

"Um…" The three replied.

_"Of course not..."_ James thought as he turned back towards the Gargoyle. He screwed up his face, smacked his head, shook his head, and pulled his hair repeatedly as he tried to remember the password.

"James! Obviously, physical pain will not give us the password!" Remus hollered over Sirius' and Peter's attempts at different passwords.

"Argh! Why does this always hap—?"

"Well good evening gentlemen. Taking a midnight stroll as well, are we? May I ask why you four find yourselves out of bed after hours?" The boys turned to their right and saw a grinning Dumbledore towering over them. He wore his floppy, dark blue hat with little white stars and matching robes. He blinked his little blue eyes as he waited for an answer.

"Uh, no..." James answered a bit confused, rubbing his head to stop the pounding.

"Headmaster—you must come—to the Hospital Wing—immediately. This girl—she needs help—she's in horrible condition—," Remus attempted to get everything out in a short amount of time.

"Right," Dumbledore said as he turned around and raced down the corridor. The four followed quickly. "Tell me more, Mr. Lupin."

"James, Sirius, Peter and I were all walking out on the grounds—yes, Sir, after hours," Remus answered truthfully as Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at him. Remus had to pick up his pace at almost a jog to keep up with the long legged man. They turned a corner and he continued.

"Anyway, we were just walking when we see this girl appear in midair!"

"Midair?" Dumbledore questioned. Remus nodded.

"She looks just terrible, Sir. She's all beaten up and has lots of cuts and bruises and her chest was bleeding very badly," Peter said.

"Right," Dumbledore said again as they approached the Hospital's doors. "Well, let's go take a look, shall we?"

As they entered the Hospital Wing, they saw Madam Pomfrey dabbing the girl's face and neck with a damp cloth. She had also changed her into a clean gown. The five men raced to her bedside and watched her intently.

Dumbledore gawked at the girl in bed before turning to Madam Pomfrey, "How bad is she?"

"Well, she's still alive, I'll just put it that way," she replied grimly.

"She seems to be a witch, yes?" He asked as he took his spectacles off and wiped them with his robes.

"I don't know, Sir. You're the expert at sensing magic," she replied, arching an eyebrow.

Dumbledore placed his spectacles back on and said, "Well, if we don't know anything, then I guess there's nothing more for us to do but wait until she wakes up. Maybe then we will have some answers. Now, you four best be getting up to your dormitory. You may see her in the morning if you wish."

The boys nodded and sulked off out of the ward.

"Albus, take a look at this," Madam Pomfrey said. She undid one button of the girl's gown and revealed her swollen chest. "Before I cleaned her up, she had glass and some gold dust or sand all over her chest. I don't know what it was, but the glass was cut deep, as if it had been smashed against her."

"I see," replied Dumbledore. "I suppose that I will stay here until the morning, to see if she wakes up. You may go and rest, Poppy." She nodded and walked off.

Dumbledore then leaned in closer to examine her face. Even behind her bruised face, she reminded him of someone. Besides that, she was very underfed and unhealthy. Her skin was extremely pale, her eye lids dark blue, and she looked as if she had no life left in her.

He sighed and pulled up a seat next to her bed. "There's never a dull moment in Hogwarts, that's for sure..." He whispered as he leaned back and tilted his hat over his eyes.

* * *

"So, nothing new with her, huh?" James asked Madam Pomfrey as she seated the four Marauders around the girl's bed. They had just come from breakfast extra early on a Monday morning so that they could visit the Hospital Wing before classes began.

"Why don't you take a look for yourself, Mr. Potter?" She asked shortly.

Before he sat in the seat closest to the girl's head, he leaned over her and searched her face for the slightest bit of change in her. After arriving at nearly dawn Saturday morning, she has been sleeping peacefully for the past two days.

She didn't look much different. She was still very skinny and her face was still badly bruised. She almost looked like she was dead and made him double check to make sure she was still breathing.

"I see what you mean," he said as he pulled his chair a little closer to the girl's bed and sat down.

Madam Pomfrey sighed loudly and waddled off, leaving the four men staring at the somewhat lifeless woman in the bed.

"So, what is new with you and that Ravenclaw girl, Sirius?" Peter asked, breaking the deadly silence that had filled the whole Hospital Wing.

"I don't know. She's really shy. A bit too shy for me," Sirius frowned.

"But, you're not willing to talk to her? Get to know her a bit?" Remus joined in.

"Well, it's not that. I mean, it's just hard to talk to her because she's so quiet, you know?"

"No, Sirius, I don't know."

"Well, I mean, it's just that-"

"I think that it's just because she doesn't compliment you on your hair, your eyes, or whatever other ditsy girls compliment you on, therefore making you feel more... attractive," Remus added with a smirk.

"Now wait a minute," Sirius interjected, holding up one finger for more emphasis and sitting up straight in his chair, "I never said that. I just said she's a bit too shy for me. She doesn't talk at all! It's hard to have a conversation going with someone that never speaks." He leaned forward and held his palm up as a gesture, "Take Renee as an excellent alternative... Now _she_ knows how to have a conversation with a man."

"Right, the poor girl that you are constantly on and off with," Peter sighed.

Remus ignored the last bit of Sirius' defense and continued, "So, since you're too much of a lazy oaf to even try to get to know the shy girl, to even try to talk to her, you're just going to dump her?"

"What makes you think I never tried to talk to her? And we're not even together!" Sirius added.

"I just know you too well, Padfoot. I know that if it doesn't go the way you want it to, then you will give up and try the next girl, not even caring if it might hurt her."

"What is this? Pick-on-Sirius-Day?" Sirius asked with an arched eyebrow, clearly annoyed.

"I just don't understand why you do this. Is it like a game to you or something?"

"What the hell is your problem, Moony?" Peter interrupted. "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

"Yeah, I suppose..." Remus groaned, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

Sirius opened his mouth again, ready to keep this argument going until James cut him off.

"Would you two like to take this outside or pay more attention to her?" He asked sternly, pointing to the girl in the bed. He had stayed silent through his two best friends' argument, staring at the girl, waiting for her to move or say something.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter looked round at her and each of their mouths dropped as they saw her move a little. It was the first time she had made any bit of movement for two whole days. Her eyes started twitching, she made a little groaning sound, and she rolled a little from side to side. She groaned again, but it was more stressed.

"Peter, get Madam Pomfrey," James ordered quickly without taking his eyes off of the girl. Peter obediently jumped up and ran to the back of the Hospital Wing.

"Um, James?" Remus asked hesitantly. "This is just a quick thought, but maybe you shouldn't be here when she wakes up. I mean, you know, she didn't take it too well when you-"

"No, you're right," James interrupted as he stood up. "I'll just wait outside for-" but he was cut off by a soft tug on his wrist. A tingly feeling suddenly went up his arm, from his wrist to his neck, sending goose bumps all the way down his spine. He slowly looked down and saw bony, white fingers clasped around his wrist. He looked up into the woman's face and his heart melted and his body instantly went numb.

When he looked at her, everything else around him disappeared and he had no clue why...

Her eyes were barely open as if it took all of her strength to keep them open. She made a pained little noise again and gently let her hand fall back onto the bed, her hand brushing against his. She barely opened her mouth and made an attempt to say something, but nothing came out.

All James was able to do was stare at her. He felt so... Sad... He hated seeing this poor girl like this and he wanted to make it all better, but he just couldn't move. Why was he acting like this? She stared back at him weakly as a little voice in the back of his head tried to bring him back to reality.

"What is taking Peter so long?" Remus snapped and he quickly stood and went after Peter. Sirius slowly got up from his chair and stood next to James. He had noticed the two of them staring at each other, but he didn't know what to think of it. They were acting as if they were completely oblivious to anything or anyone around them. James' mouth hung open a little and his eyes started to tear up.

"James?" Sirius whispered.

James quickly snapped out of their stare and faced his best friend. He swallowed with much difficulty.

_What is wrong with me?_ He thought to himself.

He was finding it difficult to catch his breath. Difficult to speak. He tried to answer Sirius, but he couldn't. So, he slowly sat back down in his chair, feeling it was better for him to sit if he was incapable of even speaking. Sirius gave him a concerned look, but he ignored him and looked back at the girl. Her eyes were closed again and she sighed heavily.

Finally, James' gaze was quickly torn away as Madam Pomfrey, Remus, and Peter entered the room.

Madam Pomfrey quickly ran to the girl and placed the back of her hand across her forehead, "How are you feeling, dear?"

The girl swallowed and tried to clear her throat, but immediately groaned. Finally she breathed out, "Terrible."

Madam Pomfrey nodded, "Well, you are a little warm with a fever... Here, let me help you," and she started helping the girl sit up. Remus and Peter took their places around her bed again and all four of the boys watched the girl gasp, moan, and utter little yelps as she attempted to sit upright. As Madam Pomfrey fluffed the pillows behind the girl's back and pulled the covers around her better, the girl looked all four boys up and down and left and right, surveying their appearances again. When Madam Pomfrey was done, she hustled to the medicine cabinet. The girl slowly and carefully leaned back into the pillows. She sighed appreciatively and stared at her bony hands in her lap.

The boys simply gawked from the girl to Madam Pomfrey, and back to the girl again.

"I'm Madam Pomfrey, dear," she introduced herself when she came back and handed the girl a glass of a pale, bluish liquid. "Here, this should help a little with the aches."

The girl took the glass and slowly downed the substance, immediately sighing with relief. Pomfrey then turned around, eyed the boys and nodded her head towards the door, and stalked right out of the Hospital Wing.

After a few moments of silence and awkward glances at each other, Peter finally piped up, "So what's your name?" But then he realized from the other boys' glares that he shouldn't have asked that. However, the girl answered anyway...

_***Now to Katharine's POV...***_

"Katharine Parker. And yours?" Her voice came out pretty clearly, just a little softer than a normal tone.

"Um, Peter Pettigrew and this lad here," he clasped a hand on the boy's shoulder with sandy hair, "Is Remus Lupin. And this bloke here is Sirius Black, and this fellow next to Sirius is-" he stopped short. "Well, you've already been introduced to him so..." James kept his head down low and twiddled his thumbs.

"Right..." She whispered as she absentmindedly rubbed her chest. It was very sore and she tried to think of why it would be so swollen and tender.

Finally, her memory came back to her and she remembered everything - from being held captive, to escaping with Draco, and then to the Final Battle… _The final Battle..._ She thought in horror. _Harry... Voldemort... The curse..._ Then it hit her.

Her necklace, her Time Turner, it was gone. Where did it go? What happened after she was hit by Avada Kadavra? She knew for sure she was hit by it... She remembered the green light clearly... But why wasn't she dead?

_Maybe I am dead... Maybe I died and I have apparently been sent back in time? But no, that would be silly... That doesn't happen. When you're dead, you either go to heaven or hell... At least I know that much... Then it must have-_

Then it sparked something in her brain again. The curse hit her Time Turner and it shattered on her. So the dust must be swimming through her veins or something and it simply sent her back in time.

But, why this certain time frame? Why not farther back? Honestly, she hated being this weak. It made her think much slower than normal...

"Katharine, are you ok?" She heard Remus ask from across her bed.

She looked up from her hands and nodded. "Just remembering things," she smiled back. It felt awkward to smile...

Suddenly, the Wing's doors burst open and in came Madam Pomfrey with an older man by her side. The older man was tall and lanky with soft, white long hair and an extremely long white beard. As they approached her bed, Katharine saw that he wore tiny, golden spectacles and had bright blue eyes. Of course, she knew exactly who it was and for the first time in a while, she was unbelievably happy to see him and instantly tears started welling up in her eyes.

As he came up to her bedside, Madam Pomfrey ushered the four boys to leave the Hospital Wing. They reluctantly sulked out of the Wing, Katharine and James sharing one last glance before he left.

She then looked around when she felt Dumbledore take her hand in his. He said with a comforting smile, "Ma'am, I know you must have many questions and that is why I am here. Ask away and I will tell you anything."

Katharine smirked at him in reply, which instantly changed the look on his face. "Or is there something _I_ must ask _you_?" He asked with a confused and suspicious expression.

_Well_, she thought to herself before she answered him, _Here goes nothing_.


	6. An Introduction

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 6**

**An Introduction**

Dumbledore's eyes were wide with curiosity as he noticed Katharine staring. She simply couldn't take her eyes off him as she took in every little detail about his face, afraid that he'd be gone in a flash. She didn't realize til now just how much she had missed him...

Madam Pomfrey had been standing at the foot of the bed watching the exchange before Dumbledore motioned for her to leave the room. She obediently walked to the back towards her office.

Finally, Katharine managed to turn away and pulled her hand from his. She slowly pushed herself up higher in bed and took a deep, calming breath. She needed to be fully comfortable for what she was about to do... And she needed to stall just a little more before she began her long story...

"W- well, first off, my name is Katharine Parker," she began awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Parker, I never introduced myself - how rude of me. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School."

"That's okay, I know who you are," Katharine automatically answered without thinking.

His expression was slightly confused. "So you are a witch then?" He asked.

"Yes, I am a witch. Muggle born. I'm seventeen years old and I go- I mean, I have been at this school since I was eleven years old, until my friends and I stopped going..." Dumbledore opened his mouth slightly as if to say something but then shut it quickly.

Katharine continued, "Anyway, before I get too ahead of myself, I should just start at some sort of what you would call the beginning..." She paused to allow some of her words to sink in for him, or maybe for herself... He sat by her side patiently, letting her gather her thoughts. She wasn't quite sure of how much she should share with him, so she decided to keep it simple.

"Okay," she began again moments later. "So, I am not really from this time period... I'm from the future, possibly twenty or more years it seems..."

She paused again to see his astonished reaction that she was from the future. She quickly continued, "It's a very dark time, Sir, where a man named Voldemort has come back and is trying to take over everything and kill all muggle borns and muggles period. I was kidnapped by him and was tortured... See, he wants me to become a part of his followers because I'm- well- I'm..." She couldn't get the words out. She was afraid that telling him they were related would be too much information about the future... That she may even change _her_ future... But she had no choice. He had to know.

"I am your granddaughter." There, she flat out said it... And then regretted it.

Recognition instantly swept across Dumbledore's face. His eyes popped open and his mouth dropped slightly, then snapped shut. His mouthed opened again and quickly shut... Clearly, he was having difficulty speaking.

"Sir?" Katharine spoke tentatively.

"That must be why you look so familiar..." He said softly, trailing off into deep thought. Kat waited. Dumbledore was smart. She knew he'd figure it all out without her needing to explain any further.

"So, you're Emma's daughter?" He asked, resting his chin in his hand. Katharine nodded. "And your grandmother's name is Sarah?" She nodded again.

Suddenly, she had an amazing feeling wash over her. She was in the past, after all. Her mother was alive. Younger, but alive. She could possibly see her again... But she realized how foolish she was for even considering that... No, she needed to get back to her time period... But how? Then, she realized Dumbledore was speaking again, and she focused back to reality... Or, sort of reality...

"... you're not in your own time period, how did you get here?"

"Voldemort hit me with the killing curse, which hit my time turner and it shattered against me. I'm sure this is a new finding, but apparently once it's destroyed, it sends you back in time." For a moment, she was taken aback by her own sarcasm and she had to shake it off once again...

"Anyway, why here, why now, I'm not sure. Maybe it was because Hogwarts was my last thought... But whatever reason, I'm here now and we must figure out a way to get me back. You told me before - or later - or whatever - that I am your second generation and I am supposed to be a powerful witch. So, that kinda means I must get back to my own time and try to kill Voldemort."

"I see... Somewhat... Well, I know you are thoroughly exhausted, so I think I should go muddle things over in my office and leave you be for a while." He shook his head quickly, making his long beard sway from side to side, "I don't want to learn too much, in case we somehow disrupt the future. I also don't think you should share this with anyone, at least not until I get my thoughts straight. I must look up time turners, it's amazing you somehow got your hands on one..." He made a swift gesture with his hand as if to fan away that remark, "Not a matter, you may stay in the Hospital Wing for as long as needed. You will stay here until I resolved this... Your room and bed shall be ready for you when you leave. We'll have some belongings prepared for you. Your House is Gryffindor, yes?"

"Uh, yes, how did you know?"

"Just a hunch. Good day, Miss Parker." Dumbledore seemed extremely distracted as he jumped up and practically ran out of the room. Before Katharine could tell him she had more to share, he was gone.

She was just starting to feel even less confident about her situation when she heard footsteps down the corridor and then saw the four boys tip-toeing back into the Hospital Wing.

She had almost forgotten about them... Almost.

The boys she knew almost too well stepped cautiously toward her. She had to admit, it was kind of nice to see them like this. She had heard so much about the mischievous Marauders. She actually wanted to know more about them... Especially James so that when she were to get back to Harry, she could tell him all about his parents.

"Hi again," Remus said, half smiling. Katharine could tell they were walking on egg shells around her. It was quite humorous watching the four of them standing there at the foot of her bed, all figiting in some way or another and staring at the floor.

"Hi," she replied, "you all can sit if you'd like." They each immediately took a chair and stared at her. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, she cleared her throat very lightly and said, "So uh, I haven't really gotten to thank you all for finding me... I understand I was in pretty bad shape - er - still kind of am. Sooooo... Thanks." She smiled sheepishly. This was getting just a little awkward. What was she supposed to say to them without slipping up confidential information?

They simply nodded in response... So she started again with some extremely small talk... "So, um yeah, I'm seventeen years old and am a muggle born."

"So you're a witch?" Peter blurted out. He was kind of a funny little guy. It's a shame Kat knew what he was to become.

She chuckled slightly and answered, "Yes, Peter, I am a witch and I know what a muggle is. Only I don't have my wand... It was - er- stolen."

"Oh, well, I'm sure the Headmaster will retrieve another one for you," Remus said, obviously making small talk as well.

"Well, I kinda forgot to tell him that. But, thats okay. No rush. It's not like I will be needing it anytime soon," she motioned towards her condition in the bed.

"So, Kat - if you don't mind us calling you that?" Sirius spoke for the first time.

"No, of course. I don't mind at all. That's my nickname back at home too..." Kat said as she trailed off, realizing she had said too much.

"Ah, well, speaking of which, where do you come from?" Sirius asked, apparently forgetting his previous question.

"Oh, you know... Around..." She said stupidly.

Sirius chuckled. "I see. That's okay, we understand if you don't want to talk to some strange guys," he said, winking at her when he finished. Jeesh, he sure was a flirt!

She ignored his last statement and diverted her attention to James. He had been sitting quietly since they had entered the room, and this time was seated in a chair farthest from her by the foot of the bed.

She tried to lighten the mood, "You're being awfully quiet over there, James. Don't take any offence to me fainting on you back there. I was probably just too weak to stay awake any longer," she smiled warmly at him.

He looked up from his lap, where he had been twiddling his thumbs again, and replied a simple, "That's okay."

Katharine huffed slightly and pursed her lips. He was acting strange. He didn't seem like the carefree, sarcastic person Sirius had always talked about back in her time. She wanted to know more about him and she was determined to do just that... He was as close to Harry as she was going to get here. She didn't know how long she was going to have to stay here after all, and she was already beginning to miss Harry very much. She had no idea if time had stopped when she arrived here, or if it keeps going. Time travel was still slightly confusing. She always felt like she couldn't fit all the pieces together.

"Oh, don't mind him, Kat. He's been a bit off since you arrived. Or should I say, 'dropped' in?" Sirius said sarcastically. He elbowed James in the ribs and muttered something in his ear that Katharine didn't hear. Whatever he said, it made him talk.

"Yeah, uh, you did kinda drop in on us, huh?" James asked.

"Yeah, I guess I kinda did," Katharine laughed awkwardly.

Her laugh seemed to keep James going. "So, you have to give us something, you know. Why did you just drop out of the sky? We know what we saw, you don't have to hide it. People don't just drop out of the sky all beaten up and bruised and bleeding." He gave her a crooked smile, something that instantly made her blush.

Then she started to wonder... Would it really be that bad if she told them? There was no way she'd be able to keep her secret from them for very long. They were persistent, curious young men and she knew by the way they were acting that they would not give up until they knew her story... Plus, if she had to be honest with herself, she was a rotten liar and she had never been able keep a secret for long, even if her life depended on it... Which in this case, it very well might.

"Okay," she decided quickly, "I will tell you. But you must promise me that you won't tell anyone, okay? I'm serious, not a soul... Got it?"

They all said, "Yes," affirmatively. She silently prayed all four truly meant it...

She began without a second thought, "Right. Well... I'm from the future. I was in a duel with a really bad man whom cast the killing curse at me. It hit me," she subconsciously placed her palm lightly on her chest, "right across my time turner and apparently sent me back twenty something years in time. So, now I'm stuck here until Dumbledore and I figure out a way to get me back... Oh, and I also go to this school in my time and am in Gryffindor," Katharine finished with a sheepish smile, hoping that she didn't just ruin everything. After all, she needed some kind of friend to lean on here. There was no way she could do this all on her own. Hopefully that was a good enough reason to possibly ruin the future...

"Wow, um, that's an interesting... Heroic story you've got there," James said, his brows furrowed together. He looked utterly confused.

Sirius laughed, "Yeah, no way. I'm not buying it. What's a 'time turner' anyway?"

Remus answered before she could, "It's a device one can use to go back in time. Usually only up to several hours. I've never heard of years though. How did you manage to get one?"

Remus was beginning to remind Katharine of Hermione, with all of the knowledge he seemed to have. "Well, I had signed up for too many classes at Hogwarts, and therefore needed one. Dumbledore worked it out with many people and allowed me to have one."

"So, Dumbledore doesn't know who you are, right? Even though you've actually met him before?" Remus asked.

"Well, I've only met him to _my _knowledge... _He's_ never actually met me before. Least not til today."

"Ah hell, I'm confused," Sirius grumbled crossing his arms across his chest.

Katharine chuckled lightly. She was surprisingly getting used to their company. They were very easy to talk to... _Obviously_, since she had just spilled the beans to them when _they _hardly knew her.

"So, I'm actually very hungry... I've sort of been starved for some time and would love some meat... Maybe turkey. Oh, and dressing. Yeah that sounds good..."

"It's only breakfast time!" Peter squeaked.

"Oh right... Well, do you think they have any in the kitchen? I think if I got some hearty food in my stomach, I'd feel a hell of a lot better-" As she started to move, James shot up from his chair suddenly and grabbed a hold of her feet from on top of the covers.

"Hey now, you just sit tight and we will go get you some food before our lessons. You may feel better because Madam Pomfrey is a genius, but I don't think you should be walking anywhere. You still look like shit and probably can't even stand up straight."

"Okay, okay, you're right... Um, could you let go of my feet, please? You're hurting me."

James quickly let go and blushed. "Oh, sorry..."

Katharine smiled. He looked absolutely adorable when he blushed. Okay, what in the world was she thinking? No, he did not look adorable...

"So, uhm. 'Bout some food, yeah?" She choked up, turning to Sirius, whom was sitting right next to her.

"Of course, M' Lady, we would be glad to fetch you some grub," Sirius winked again at her as he stood up and grabbed James' arm. Remus and Peter smiled back at her and followed the two out of the ward.

Katharine gave a heavy sigh as soon as they left. Wow... What a day.

She grabbed the mirror that stood on the end table next to her bed. She hadn't seen her reflection in quite some time. She was almost afraid to look.

She held the mirror in front of her face, and almost exclaimed out loud.

She was nearly unrecognizable, even to herself. She could tell that she had been cleaned up a lot by Madam Pomfrey, possibly even been given a bed bath... But even that couldn't hide the bruises... The whites of her eyes were pale, clearly showing how anemic she was. Her bottom lip was still swollen and she had a couple Steri-strips across the gash on her left cheek. Both of her eyes were completely purple and puffy... She looked absolutely awful.

Embarrassment momentarily took over her. She wanted to brush her matted hair and wash her nasty face before the boys came back with her food. She also would love to brush her teeth. She called for Madam Pomfrey a few times, having to raise her voice a little louder for her to hear in the back.

Madam Pomfrey hurried into the room and came right to her side. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I really would just like to freshen up. I feel really gross. Is there a shower back there?" After all, she had never been confined to the Hospital Wing for more than a night before.

"Yes, dear, there is. Let me help you, you're going to be very weak on your feet. They are pretty bruised and swollen as well. Almost as if you ran through a forest barefoot!"

Katharine laughed, "Actually, that's exactly what I did. Not a pretty good idea, huh?"

Madam Pomfrey turned serious, "No dear, not at all." Katharine chuckled as she was helped to her feet. Madam Pomfrey grabbed some toiletries on the way to the bathroom as Katharine stumbled by her side.

Well, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all... Maybe some good will come out of this...


	7. Just a Joy Ride

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 7**

**Just a Joy Ride**

After spending a few more days in the hospital wing by Madam Pomfrey's orders, Katharine was finally given permission to leave. She felt much better strength wise and thankfully her cuts were healed and her bruises were completely gone. She pretty much looked like herself again, but still too skinny. No matter though, because she was so ready to leave that she felt like she could go outside and run around like a crazy kid. Maybe borrow someone's broom and go flying. Anything that could get her outside would be a blessing.

Dumbledore had not visited her since the day she had woken up, so she really wanted to stop by his office to find out if he had solved anything about her Time situation. She found herself slightly irritated with Dumbledore. Why would he be ignoring her? Was her situation not serious enough? She figured she'd find all of that out once she visited him.

Anyway, the Marauders had visited her quite often, and thank goodness they had, because if she hadn't had some kind of interaction with kids her own age, she might have just gone insane. She was very comfortable with the Marauders now. It felt as if she'd known them for ages, and it seemed that they felt the same. They would all come visit her, but sometimes only one or two of them at a time due to different class schedules.

Pomfrey kept her company often and teachers did come and introduce themselves to her by Dumbldore's orders, including Professor Mcgonagall. She almost looked exactly how Katharine had remembered her other than her younger wrinkles. Just a few of the teachers to mention, she met Professor Flitwick again whom taught Charms; Slughorn whom taught Potions; Kettleburn whom taught Care of Magical Creatures; and she also was introduced to the much younger looking Gamekeeper, Hagrid.

It appeared that all of the teachers had known about her being from the future, except for Hagrid, whom Katharine had almost spilled the beans to until she realized he knew nothing about her. Katharine figured it was because Hagrid was a terrible liar like she was, and Dumbledore probably did not trust that he could keep it a secret.

Katharine had not forgotten though that Dumbledore still did not know about her telling the Marauders she was from the future, but she decided she would keep that a secret for a little while... Or as long as she could keep a secret. She did promise herself though, that they would be the only friends she would tell. She did not want to have to worry about how many people knew or not and to whom she had to be careful around.

Moving on, Katharine decided that there was no point in stressing about how she was there and how she was going to get back. She decided she would just take this one step at a time, hopefully figuring out how to get back to her time along the way... Also praying quite often that she did not damage time _too_ much.

It was about seven in the morning when Katharine had woken up and could not go back to sleep. She was just too excited that she was finally allowed to leave the Hospital Wing. She quickly got dressed in some dark jeans and a blue button up that Madam Pomfrey had laid out for her, freshened up a bit, and headed straight down to the Great Hall for some breakfast and socialism.

Katharine was only vaguely aware that she had been skipping down the halls when she rounded a corner and nearly toppled over Remus.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Remus! I should have been watching where I was going," she laughed. "Guess I'm just too excited to be free!"

"That's alright, I was actually on my way to see you!" He stepped back and scanned her up and down, "It's great to see you up and moving. Come on, the others are saving us a seat in the Great Hall," he replied as he motioned for her to follow and headed back down the hall from which he had just come from.

"I find it hard to believe the others are actually awake," Katharine said as she tried to calm herself down so that she wouldn't start skipping again.

"Yeah well, we were all kinda excited that you were getting out today. Almost everyone in the whole school knows you're a new student now. You're probably going to have loads of people staring at you at first, just so you know... But don't worry, no one but us knows your secret," Remus said with a cheesy grin.

"Oh, well that's slightly more comforting," Kat said sarcastically. "So, how is the whole school aware now that there is a new student? Who tattled?"

"Kat, trust me, hardly anything stays hush hush in Hogwarts these days. You'll be lucky if you can even keep your secret safe," he winked at her from over his shoulder and proceeded forward.

Katharine suddenly realized that they were already in the Entrance Hall and were about to walk into the Great Hall... She took a deep breath and followed Remus through the already wide open doors.

Sure enough, most of the rumble in the Great Hall died away once they entered the room, with all eyes on Katharine. She freaked and actually proceeded to run in the other direction, but Remus grabbed the collar of her button up and literally drug her over to the Gryffindor table. The rumble started to pick up once they had reached the table, and this made her relax slightly. He walked around to the other side of the long table as she walked straight ahead to where she saw the three other Marauders sitting. She took her place next to Sirius, whom was grinning wildly at the expression on her face, which was most likely beet red. James, Peter, and now Remus each sat across from them.

"Well hello there, Cutie, you're looking much better now that you're out of bed and wearing normal clothing," Sirius said as he started piling food onto her plate.

"Oh shut up, Sirius, don't you think I've been embarrassed enough for one morning?" Kat interjected as she scanned the room again. She looked up towards the back of the Great Hall and scanned the table for the Headmaster... He was no where in sight, only the other teachers, which every single one of them was staring right at her. She quickly turned back to her plate, "Woah, man, there is no way I'm going to be able to eat all of this food!" She exclaimed once she saw the portions on her plate.

"Oh whatever, Kat, you're nothing but skin and bones, you need to fatten up!" James said.

Katharine looked up at him across the table and instantly turned an even brighter shade of red once she processed what he had just said to her. It was kinda nice to know that a guy actually liked some cushion on a woman's bones...

His crooked smile nearly took the breath out of her. All she could muster was a chuckle and then she quickly cleared her throat. "Right, well thanks guys," and immediately she dug into her food and tried to forget about the awkward moment.

"So, did Remus tell you what we're all doing today, Kat?" Peter piped in, who was all smiles like a little kid in a toy shop.

"Mmnooo," Kat replied with a mouth full of food.

"It's Saturday and we're all going to Hogsmeade!"

Katharine swallowed her mouth full of food and said, "Oh that sounds so nice, you guys, but I really should go speak with Dumbledore after breakfast..."

"Oh, come on, Kat, I think it can wait til this evening," Remus said.

"Agreed," James added, "I think you need some fresh air, you know it will do you some good and we've already had Dumbledore sign your permission to go... And we've got you covered on the expenses." And then James grinned that crooked smile again, making Katharine forget her question about how _they_ were able to see Dumbledore while _he_ hadn't even tried to make contact with her yet, and added, "Actually, I have an even better idea that I'm sure you'd love."

Katharine now had another stuffed mouth and tilted her head to the side curiously.

"I think," James continued, "that you and I should go on a little joy ride. What do you think?"

Katharine knew exactly what he was talking about because he was the only one she had told yet and she nearly choked on her food, "Oh my gosh, YES!"

James unsuccessfully tried to keep himself from bursting into laughter.

"Hey, now, I don't think you're quite ready for that, mate. Let's give it another day or two before we go do anything reckless," Sirius interjected while holding his fork in midair. Kat supposed he most likely knew James' thoughts too well and probably knew that he was talking about a broom ride.

"Reckless?" Katharine exclaimed as she turned toward Sirius. "That's not reckless at all! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been on a broomstick? I can't even remember! I was a Chaser back at home, that was the one thing I had a major passion for." Katharine turned back to James, whom still was having issues composing his face. "And I know from the way James talks about being the _best_ Chaser and all, that it's one of his major passions too. Am I right, or am I right?" She finished cockily.

"Y- yes. Yes, lets do this!" James exclaimed leaning back up, for he hadn't realized that he had subconsciously leaned in closer towards Katharine when she agknowledged his Quidditch skills.

"Alright, hell yeah!" Katharine smiled so wide, that she thought her cheeks might rip.

Suddenly, Katharine received a little tap on her left shoulder. She turned and looked up with quite surprise. A beautiful fiery, red haired girl with gorgeous green eyes that Kat knew only too well was looking down at her with a kind smile.

"Hi, there, you must be the new exchange student," she held out her hand towards Katharine, "I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Lily Evans, Head Girl of Gryffindor. I can see that you've already met Head Boy Potter here," she said James' name a bit smugly.

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you Lily!" Kat shot up from her seat, "I'm Katharine Parker," she said as she shook hands with Lily. "Actually, I had no idea James here was Head Boy." She turned towards him. He was about to reply when Lily cut him off.

"Oh, how surprising. Usually that's how James introduces himself. As Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, any thing that he may boast about to gain attention," Lily smirked.

"Um..." Katharine paused, a little taken about by the hostility Lily had towards James. She had thought that James and Lily were fond of each other in their final year, but maybe they just hadn't come to that point yet?

"You're just jealous, Lily, admit it," James replied, pointing his chin up.

"And what would I be jealous about?" Lily countered.

"Maybe that we met the new girl first?"

"Oh please, you must turn everything into a competition, you prick!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Okay!" Katharine raised her hands up between the two of them. James was now on his feet and the two were leaning towards each other over the table, glaring ridiculously while everyone simply watched. "I thought you fancied Lily here, James? What's going on?"

"How'd you know I fancied her?" James growled. Katharine's eyes went wide. Oops... But James didn't leave any time for her to reply, thankfully. "I mean, I don't, least not anymore! I'm tired of liking this woman when all she thinks of me is that I'm an arrogant prick. You try sharing a Head Boy and Girl dorm with someone that can't stand the sight of you," James said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Oh, whatever, Potter. See if I care. Enjoy hanging out with these morons, Katharine. Let me know when you need to be rescued." She smiled at Katharine bipolarly and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"What in the world is wrong with you, James? Don't you know you're not supposed to talk to a girl like that?" Katharine accused as she sat back down on the bench.

"What? I didn't do a thing, Kat! I've spent too long trying to get this girl to like me, and I've had enough of it." James defended as he resumed his seat as well.

"Okay, well that was fun!" Sirius clapped his hands together and smiled widely. "I say we get out of here and head to Hogsmeade before everyone else does!" Sirius' attempt to make James and Katharine forget about their broom ride was unsuccessful.

"Excuse you, but Kat and I still have a play date," James grinned. "Shall we?" He asked Kat as he extended his hand towards the exit.

"We shall," Katharine grinned back. She had a very small voice in the back of her head telling her this probably wasn't a good idea, but the bigger voice in the front of her head said big deal, it was just an innocent broom ride. So she and James stood up, leaving their half-finished breakfast, and walked right out of the Great Hall with Sirius, Remus, and Peter staring after them.

"I guess we weren't invited?" Sirius spoke, a little offended.

"I guess not," Remus glared towards the vacant hall.

Peter huffed.

* * *

"Let's run up to my dorm real quick and grab my broomstick, then we'll head down to the Quidditch field, mkay?" James asked as Katharine followed him out of the Great Hall.

"Yup, sounds good," she replied.

Okay, Katharine was aware that she was beginning to have mixed feelings for James. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew for sure that James gave her major butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She argued with herself as they climbed the stairs in silence that she was NOT crushing on Harry Potter's father. She decided that she was only getting mixed feelings because she missed Harry so much, and that every time James looked at her, he reminded her of Harry. She would not get in the way of him and Lily getting together, in fact, maybe she was _supposed_ to get them together. Then it dawned on her... Maybe she was thrown back in time to make Harry's parents fall in love with each other? Since they obviously despised each other right now?

Then she thought... Maybe this had already happened, and she was now back in time because if it had happened in the first place, then that meant that it had to happen again, right? But how was she going to get back then?

Lost in thought, she hadn't realized that James had stopped in front of a large picture of a knight grooming a brown horse.

"Jumping Jellybeans, please," James said.

"My pleasure," the knight replied.

"Beautiful horse you have there, sir," Katharine said before he swung the door open.

"Why thank you, young lady!" The knight cried from the other side of the painting as they climbed into the dorm.

"I'll be right back," James said as he ran across the room and climbed the stairs that most likely led to the bedrooms.

Katharine glanced around the room, taking in the new scenery. The dorm was much smaller than the actual Gryffindor Common Room, however the color scheme of red and gold was everywhere. There was only one couch here seated across a big stone fireplace. Katharine walked over to the couch and noticed a huge painting above the fireplace of a man sitting in a huge armchair. He had dark hair, a strong jaw, and was staring right back at her.

Kat turned around when she heard James jumping down the stairs, two at a time with his broomstick in hand and wearing gloves. "Okay!" He exclaimed, "Lets go!"

"Wait, is that who I think it is?" Kat asked, pointing at the picture.

"If you're thinking Godric Gryffindor, then yes." He chuckled.

Katharine hummed in reply. "Cool, lets go."

As they walked out of the portrait hole, Kat tried to start up a conversation, since it was a fairly long walk to the Quidditch field.

"So, James, why don't you tell me a little about what happened back there between you and Lily?"

"Didn't I share enough about us?" James laughed.

"Well, I don't know..." Katharine said, trying to choose her words carefully, "Sirius might have mentioned to me that you've fancied her for a long time. I just can't see how you could just not care for her anymore." They walked down the halls while Katharine stared at the ground.

"I don't understand why you're so interested," James said with an amused tone his in voice.

"I have my reasons."

"And I have mine for not wanting to share," James was still grinning as Katharine looked up.

"Fine," she huffed, making it known she was clearly annoyed.

They were now outside on grounds. It was such a gorgeous day, Katharine couldn't help but smile at the beautiful blue sky and breathe in the fresh autumn air.

James interrupted her moment and said, "So, I may have a question for you regarding your life back home... If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Well, I'm going to ask anyway."

Katharine pursed her lips. Apparently it was okay for him to ask her questions that she didn't want to answer, but it was not okay for her to ask him.

"Did you already know me when you arrived here?"

"Excuse me?" Katharine asked. She knew what he was asking, but she was trying to stall so she could figure out how to answer.

"Well, you passed out when I introduced myself to you when we found you, and I've just been thinking... You kept calling me Harry and-"

"I really don't want to answer this, James."

"But please, it's been bothering me."

"Do you not understand that if I share too much with you, that it could devastate the future?"

"I'm aware of that."

"Then don't be stupid and don't corner me and try to find information that you have no business knowing."

"Kat, I just wanted to know why you reacted the way you did when you first saw me."

"It had nothing to do with you."

"You're lying."

Katharine paused.

"Yes, I knew who you were when I saw you. I know all of you guys. But not personally. I've just heard about you all. There, that's all I'm saying."

"What? No, you can't just stop there!" He stopped walking and tugged on Kat's sleeve, "How much do you know about me?" He asked, almost hysterical with excitement.

"James, come on, this isn't fair. Please, stop."

"But-"

"James! That's enough! Be reasonable, now! Believe me, I'd LOVE to share with you everything about my time, but I just can't! Can't we just enjoy this time we have right now? Don't you think it's hard enough for me already missing my friends back at home? I don't need you asking me all of these questions. I'm stressed enough as it is."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll shut up."

There was silence for a minute or two as they walked down the steep pathway towards the field. Then James piped up again.

"You only said missing your friends... What about your family? You can tell me about your family, can't you?"

"That's a sad subject."

"Oh... Well, you don't have to share it then."

Katharine yearned to talk to him about something, though. He seemed so concerned about her, and she quite enjoyed it. She hadn't had a friend to confide in for some time other than the few times she had been able to talk to Draco.

"My family was killed two years ago. Most of my family and my parents and my twin brother were muggles..."

"Oh... Wow..." He paused for a minute... "Um... Can I ask how they... Died?" He asked tentatively, his face showing that he didn't really expect her to answer.

"By that same guy that kidnapped me and sent me here. Or, they were killed by his followers... But enough of that," Katharine finished as they approached the Quidditch field. "Too bad we don't have another broomstick. I'd love to throw around a Quaffle with you!"

"Actually, they have extra brooms in here," James walked up to the tent outside the arena that was used for players to prepare and dress in.

"Oh yeah, I forgot..." Katharine replied dumbly and followed him inside and walked over to the storage cabinet with him, where Katharine grabbed a pair of gloves, an extra broom, and a beat up Quaffle ball that was obviously used for practice.

"Here," James said as he handed her his broomstick, "You can use mine. It's a little faster than the ones they leave here, more reliable."

"Aw, thanks James."

They smiled at each other for a moment, then James turned around and Kat followed him to the entrance that led to the field. He opened the curtain for Katharine and then followed her out.

The field was so big, and as Katharine walked forward and stood in the middle of the field, she looked around and smiled. Everything looked the same, just like everything else at Hogwarts in this time did. The same wooden wall lined the entire oval shaped field with columns that were more than a hundred feet high and dressed in the different House colors. The grass was so green, even as they were approaching autumn season. The goal posts on each side of the field gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

"Kat, you ready?" James asked. Apparently he'd been watching her stare around.

"Yes, sorry. It's just been so long since I've been here!"

"Why? I thought you played?"

"I did, until I was kicked off the team." Katharine laughed.

"You surprise me every day you're here, you know that?"

"Well, I'll surprise you once you see how I can fly!" Katharine exclaimed as she mounted her broom and kicked off immediately.

The cool wind that wiped her face was exhilarating. She sped up once she heard James whistling through the air behind her. She laughed as she went higher and higher into the sky, James chasing after her. She spun around and zipped past an impressed James, whom laughed and threw her the Quaffle. She reflexively spun around and caught it, turned around with a back flip, and flew the other way towards the three hoops.

James quickly chased after her and slammed into her. They wrestled for the ball and he managed to rip it out of her hand and immediately spun around and headed in the opposite direction. _Damn_, Katharine thought. He was really good!

She couldn't catch up to him in time. He threw the ball through the middle hoop. Katharine quickly dove for the ball as it fell from the sky. She caught it and flew back up to James, whom was waiting for her in midair.

"Ha! Too slow, Kat!" He shouted as she approached him.

"Whatever, I'm just warming up!" She said as she through him the ball. "Your turn." She grinned.

James threw the ball high up in the air and they both zoomed towards it. Katharine grabbed it first and headed for James' goals.

They played like this for hours. Back and forth they flew around, chasing each other and trying to get it in the hoops on each other's side. It was definitely not as challenging playing with two people, but Katharine still enjoyed just being on a broomstick and goofing off.

After she made another goal in James' hoop, she looked down at her watch. It was already eleven! They had been playing for nearly three hours! She still wanted to go to Hogsmeade with the others, so she waved James down as she lowered through the sky towards the ground. She landed gracefully, with James right behind her.

"Aw, have you had enough already?" He looked so disappointed.

Katharine laughed, "Of course not! But we have been playing for three hours so it's probably time we head back and get some lunch. We still have to go to Hogsmeade you know."

"Oh yeah, I had completely forgotten! Man, time sure flies when I'm having fun with you." He winked at her and pulled off his gloves as they walked back towards the tent together.

"Yeah, you are definitely a fair Chaser, mate." She grinned back.

"You are positively the best female Chaser I've ever seen, if I do say so myself."

"Well, when I was a Chaser back at home, it was _only_ girls on our team that were Chasers. So-" She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

They put everything back in the closet and as Katharine headed for the exit, she was spun around as James grabbed her wrist.

"I had a really great time with you, Kat. I've never known a girl that enjoys Quidditch as much as I do." He ran his other hand through his messy hair, clearly having some difficulty with something he was thinking.

"Um, yeah it was nice. We'll have to do it again sometime." Katharine was aware that they were standing very close to each other now. He was gazing down at her, watching her intently. She couldn't carry on eye contact with him anymore as she kept blushing under his intense stare.

"Katharine, why do you have to make it so difficult for me to figure you out?" He said, screwing up his forehead, which made his glasses fall down his nose slightly.

"I'm sorry? I didn't know I was supposed to do anything for you." She replied. She knew where this was going, but she just couldn't move her feet. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't do anything. They were standing so closely now...

"I'm feeling something strong for you, Kat. I know we've hardly known each other, but I can tell you feel something for me too. I can't stop thinking about you. I had to visit you every day, all day when you were in the Hospital Wing. And the day you woke up, it felt like some connection bonded between us. I couldn't take my eyes off of you, it was so strange..." He paused to shake his head from side to side, "I should tell you, I never talk like this. I usually just flirt and try to get a snog here and there... But you've changed me in a matter of days..." He went on and on and on and all Katharine could think of was, "_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. No no no no. This can't be happening."_

"Look, James. I think I might feel something there as well, but this just can't happen. You wouldn't understand..." He then placed his hand on the back of her neck and ran his fingers in her hair. She couldnt help but shiver under his touch.

"Katharine, you don't have to try so hard to hide it. I told you, I've never felt this way before... I'm starting to believe you came here for a reason. Don't you?"

"I... I don't know what I believe anymore..."

"Then just live in the moment, in my time. Nothing will happen. Us being together couldn't possibly change a thing."

"You have no idea what it would change James..."

"What do you mean?"

"What would happen to us when I have to go back home? I'm not meant to be here, James..." Katharine tried to reason with him. Tried to get him to see that she couldn't stay here, without her having to tell him that he has to be with Lily in order for them to have Harry...

"Why not? You came here in one piece... Mostly. And it's not like you'll die from not going back to your own time, is it? You can stay here, in this time... With me... You don't have to go back..."

"No, I can't... You don't understand... You can't understand because I can't tell you... Please, don't do this..." She was feeling very light headed now.

"Katharine..." James barely breathed out her name as he began to lean in.

She subconsciously started to lean in too... Their lips barely grazed each other's, but Kat finally came to her senses and pushed James away with all her might. She backed away quickly so he couldn't grab hold of her again.

"James, what are you doing?"

"Come on, you know you want to-"

"No, I don't! We. Can't. Be. Together. Get this through your head _right_ _now_." She wanted to sound firm with her words. "You are just caught up in the moment, okay? New girl comes along, someone you've never met nor has ever gotten the chance to join you in a broom closet or something. I'm sorry, it can't work between us. You mustn't forget that I am from the future!"

"But, it's not like that with you, Kat. I know it's not."

"Then why are you trying to kiss me already when you hardly know me?"

"Hey, you were going for it too!"

Katharine paused and shook her head, "Doesn't matter." She turned around swiftly and ran out of the tent.

James was on her heels. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"Katharine, you need to give us a chance to work this out."

"There is nothing to work out. You must understand that."

"You're wrong and I won't let you ignore this." He sounded extremely pissed, but did not go further.

_"I must figure out a way to get him and Lily together..." _She thought. _"I'm in love with Harry, not James. I'm just confused."_

She kept telling herself that over and over the whole way back to the castle as they walked side by side in silence.


	8. Being an Arsehole

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 8**

**Being an Arsehole**

Katharine and James walked back to the castle in complete silence. She had no idea where to go from here. James had feelings for her, and she could no longer deny to herself that she was developing feelings for him... How had it gone this far already?

She couldn't let herself do this to Harry. She didn't deserve him one bit anymore. She had fallen for his father, and she wasn't even sure if she really liked James for "James", or if she liked him because he was so much like Harry. How on earth would she ever be able to look Harry in the face again and hide her secret? That is, if he would even be alive now...

Okay, she was just completely overreacting. That's all. Nothing had even happened yet! They weren't "in love" or anything. They just fancied each other. He still could go back to Lily, no problem. Maybe if she found a way to get back home soon, he would go back to Lily all on his own.

They approached the castle at last, still not speaking. Katharine wondered what he could be thinking about. She hated that she might have hurt him, but there was no way she could tell him the truth! _"I'm sorry I can't be with you, James, because I'm already with your son- whom, by the way, must be born in order to defeat Voldemort." _Yeah, Kat could see that going perfectly well. Not to mention, James was _dead_ in her time! She couldn't tell him a thing. That would be awful if he found out he was dead in the future. Not only him, but his wife, Lily, whom he apparently loathed now. Oh, what else could go wrong...

"So, I guess I'll run to my dormitory and meet you in the Gryffindor common room with the others, then?" James suddenly said as the two teens headed up the grand staircase.

"Yeah, sure," Katharine mumbled.

They parted ways after James gave her the Gryffindor Common Room password at the end of the corridor without another word. Katharine arrived to meet the other three Marauder's taking over the couch and chairs by the fireplace. The common room was mostly empty, and she expected it was due to everyone going to Hogsmeade.

"Hey, look who it finally is! You two sure were gone a long time." Sirius teased from the couch, which he had complete reign over, all sprawled out with his hands behind his head and feet sat upon the arm rest.

"Yeah, sorry guys..." Katharine mumbled again. She was a bit down and wasn't really in the mood to chat. "I think you all should just go to Hogsmeade without me. I'm a bit tired and-"

"Oh no you don't, you're coming with us, Kat." Sirius said as he sat up straight on the couch and pointed a finger at her. "You had enough energy to go on a broomstick ride, I think you can spare a couple more hours with the rest of us." He glared up at her while she stood there with her hands in her pockets.

"Okay fine... But I'm gonna go to my dorm real quick and change into something else to wear..." Katharine quickly ran up the staircase to the girls dormitory before they could ask her more questions.

She walked down the long hallway that was lined with several doors to different rooms. Each plaque on the doors labeled the students that occupied each room. She found her name halfway down the hall, along with three other names including: Renee Morris, Laura Hunter, and Jordan Baham.

She opened the door and was flooded with memories of her previous dorm room at Hogwarts. The circular room was very cluttered with many things such as shoes, clothes, and books and parchment scattered everywhere. The walls were decorated with many posters and most of them Katharine didn't recognize because of the time difference. None of the other girls' beds were made, which were all lined up against the wall and pointing towards the center of the room, just the way they were positioned in her time. Each bed had a small dresser and night stand on either side of it with an oil lamp upon the night stand.

Katharine walked over to the only neatly made bed with a huge trunk laid upon it. There was a folded note on top of her trunk that appeared to be from her roommates. It mostly said that they loaned her some of their own "cute" clothes and such and that they were looking forward to meeting her.

She pulled out all of the trunk's contents which included: several Gryffindor robes and other uniform attire, skirts, shoes, flannel shirts, some hoodies and T-shirts, a few jeans, socks, underwear- basically all of the necessities that were all somehow in her size. She was quite shocked about the huge wardrobe selection and picked out a T-shirt, black hoodie, and jeans- her favorite everyday attire even though it wasn't too cool outside yet. She threw the rest of her new clothes into the dresser by her bed and quickly got dressed, brushed her tangled hair, and headed back down to the common room.

Her stomach fluttered involuntarily when she saw James standing with the rest of the Marauders, and she mentally slapped herself for the unconscious movement her body made.

_Stop with the butterflies already, you don't like him._ She argued with herself as she approached the men, who were now joined by an unfamiliar girl standing next to Sirius.

"Hey," Kat said.

"Hey!" Sirius greeted her again and held out his hand towards the new girl, "I wanna introduce you to Renee Morris, she says she is rooming with you. She's kinda my, you know-"

"Yeah, uhuh," Renee said, beeming at Katharine as they shook hands. "We're kind of the "on-and-off" couple around here," she said as she winked at Katharine. She had pretty light green eyes and straight, brunette and blonde highlighted hair. She was at least two inches taller than Katharine, almost the height of Sirius. She reminded Katharine of what a stereotypical muggle cheerleader might look like- basically perfect.

"It's nice to meet you, Renee. I'm Katharine Parker. Hey, it was really nice of you guys to give me some clothes."

"Oh, you're so welcome! We want you to feel as comfortable as possible," Renee smiled.

"Renee is gonna join us. I'm sure you wouldn't mind not being the only girl," Remus said.

"Yes, that makes this trip loads better!" Katharine exclaimed. She could have sworn she saw a little disappointment on James' face when she made the comment. She didn't mean to sound rude...

"Well, we'd better get going or we're going to miss the last carriage," Peter announced.

The six of them headed out of the portrait hole and walked down to the grounds, meeting up with other students that were all heading the same way. Out on the grounds, there were at least a dozen carriages that were all being pulled by Thestrals. As students were piling into them, Katharine wondered how many of the other students were able to see them...

The six of them piled into one carriage, three people sitting on either side. It was still a beautiful day outside and so the tops of the carriages had been taken off, letting the sun shine in and making everyone squint there eyes.

Katharine was sitting between Remus and James on one side of the carriage, while Peter sat next to Sirius and Renee, who were holding hands. Katharine tried to relax as best as she could while sitting next to James, because this was going to be at least a thirty minute ride; but she found it very difficult to ignore him when she was squished between him and Remus.

The carriage began to roll forward as Renee spoke, "So, Katharine, you will be needing some books and parchment and quills and such, so I thought it'd be nice to do some shopping while we're there? After we grab lunch, that is."

"Well, that'd be nice, but I don't have any money..." Katharine wasn't quite sure how she should explain why she didn't have any money, and she was about to say some made-up excuse when James intervened.

"Kat, I told you, don't worry bout it. I have you covered," he said as he patted her knee, and then quickly pulled his hand away and looked toward the sky.

"James, that's very nice of you, but I can't let you do that."

"Sure you can, mate. James comes from a pretty wealthy family. You don't have to worry about a thing," Sirius explained.

Katharine turned and looked up at James, whom shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yes, you have quite a lot to catch up on since you transfered right in the middle of the semester; but if we are able to find all of your things, I'm sure you'll be fine." Renee smiled.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it," Kat said. Her heart swelled up at their generosity and she made a mental note to pray for them all before she went to sleep.

The rest of the way to Hogsmeade, Katharine stayed mostly silent and watched the clouds in the sky while the others talked about pranks the Marauders had done or were planning to do. Apparently Renee was pretty involved in their little schemes and rather enjoyed hearing about them. Katharine was indifferent. They were teenage boys, she didn't really care what they did as long as she didn't get in trouble and they didn't play the pranks on her. She started listening more clearly though when she heard Lily and Snape's names come up in the conversation.

"Yeah, it was always hard to play a prank on Snivellus when Evans was always around him. It became rather annoying really..." James was saying.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Katharine asked, knowing full well who Snivellus was but was wondering why Lily was involved.

"Severus Snape is his name, but I prefer to call the dope Snivellus," James answered as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"What could a guy possibly have done to deserve a name like that?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing really, I just despise him." He shrugged.

"Please, are you really that insensitive, James?" Katharine asked, exasperating him.

"Well, he's just a know-it-all prick! He's slimey, irritating, you know, everything that a normal Slytherin is! He's just annoying and tries to get us in trouble all of the time. Plus he and Evans were always close until he called her a mudblood during our fifth year. Then she finally came to her senses-"

"Oh, so you don't like him because him and Evans were close friends?"

"No, that's not it at all."

"Yes it is." Remus, Peter, and Sirius all chimed in.

"What? You guys are such arseholes! That's not true at all!"

"Come on, Prongs, we're only pulling your antlers!" Sirius exclaimed as everyone on the carriage busted out laughing.

"Prongs?" Katharine asked. Again, she knew what he was talking about but she decided to play dumb and see how much they would really share with her.

"That's just a nickname, we can tell you about it later," Remus said. Katharine nodded and supposed it was due to Renee being with them.

"Look, there it is!" Peter announced.

They rounded a corner and down the valley was Hogsmeade. It looked different somehow than the way Katharine had remembered it. Maybe it was because it was so sunny out; maybe it looked slightly younger in this time, even though that sounded a bit silly once she really thought about that.

"I say we go to Honeydukes first!" Peter exclaimed.

"Sounds good to me!" Kat agreed. "What about you, James?" She asked.

"Whatever... I might just go somewhere by myself," he said through gritted teeth as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Suddenly, Remus leaped right over Katharine and began punching James in the arm and stomach or whatever else he could reach. James began pushing and shoving him back. Next thing Kat knew, they were fighting around her as she tried to slide under and out of the way while everyone yelled and swore at the top of their lungs. And to make things worse, they were riding downhill and it was very hard to stay in the seat.

"You-better-snap-the-bloody-hell-out-of-it!" Remus hollered as James tried to block his punch.

"What-the-hell's-wrong-with-you?" James shouted while trying to protect his face and get another punch in.

"Hey, hey, HEY! Knock it off, you two! You're gonna knock Kat out if you don't watch it!" Sirius shouted over the yelling boys as he tried to save Katharine.

Finally, Kat decided to take things into her own hands and she shot her elbows out at each side of her and nailed the two idiots in the ribs. This momentarily made them stop.

"You both are absolute idiots," she said as she tried to sound serious, but couldn't help but join in Renee and Peter's laughter.

"You're insane, Remus! Bloody hell insane." James puffed as he corrected his glasses onto both ears and tried to catch his breath.

"Well, you're being ridiculous. Everybody knows you have an insane crush on Evans, and the fact that you both are fighting right now is just crazy. And you know yourself that you hate Snape's guts because he was practically in love with her as well. You hate competition. Face it." Remus said, triumph written all over his face.

"Wrong again, Remus, I told you. I'm done with Evans. I've chased her for too long, I don't deserve being treated like this anymore. Sure, I may have over done it the way that I've been trying to impress her lately, but she's beat me down like a piece of shit. Sorry to disappoint you, Moony."

"James, I think you're overreacting just slightly-" Katharine attempted to reason with him.

He then leaned over and whispered very seriously into her ear, "Why are you treating me like this? You of all people should know how I feel."

Katharine didn't reply before Sirius said, "Okay guys, let's just drop this now. We're here."

Murmurs came from all around the carriage in agreement.

"Alrighty! Honeydukes, here we come!" Renee exclaimed as they all hopped out of the carriage and strolled along the streets of Hogsmeade.

The six of them went into Honeydukes and spent way too much money and ate way too much candy. As they were all starting to feel sick after all of the candy and no actual food in their stomachs, they decided to go grab some lunch and butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.

After lunch, Renee, James, and Katharine headed to the small store called Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop while the other three boys went to some toy shop that they apparently were going to buy some prank traps from... Or devices that they could disassemble and rebuild into their own masterpieces.

The bookstore was very limited in their selection, but Katharine and Renee found the bare essentials and decided they would just share the rest of the books that Renee already owned.

"Well, I'm gonna go find Sirius and see if we can uh, hang out a bit. See you guys later!" Renee waved goodbye as they were walking out of the bookstore.

"Yeah, I'm _sure_ all that they are going to do is hang out..." James chuckled to Kat as they watched her trot away.

Kat sighed, "James, thank you again for buying my things..."

"You don't have to thank me, Kat." James smiled. Naturally, she blushed.

"Well, um, I guess we should go find the others then?" She offered as she rearranged her now extremely heavy satchel across her shoulder.

"What? No come on, lets walk around a bit. I mean, maybe we'll find them along the way..."

"James, I don't think we should be alone for too long."

James grinned his crooked smile at her, "I promise I'm not going to make any moves on you, okay?"

"I... Okay, fine." Katharine gave in.

He grinned wildly. "Come on, I wanna show you something," he said as he grabbed her hand and drug her down the street.

"Hey, slow down, I'm carrying like four huge books and other junk in this bag!"

"Oh, sorry." He apologized as he reached for her satchel, "Here, let me carry it." And he took it off her shoulder and placed it across his.

"Thanks..." Katharine replied slowly. For some reason at that precise time, as she watched him grab her satchel, she noticed significant differences between him and Harry. He was definitely not as skinny and scrawny as poor Harry was. Harry hadn't been quite as skinny as he used to be due to being fed well at Hogwarts, but he wasn't muscular by all means. She could tell that James for sure worked out or something by the way his T-shirt showed off his- well- biceps. He was also taller than Harry was, and his facial features were much broader- stronger. Course, his eyes weren't as breath taking as Harry's were, but they definitely weren't bad to look at. His hair was longer and messier than Harry's- which is hard to imagine- but the glasses he wore were practically identical to Harry's... How odd...

She didn't realize she'd been staring until James started laughing.

"Like what you see, huh?" He smirked.

"I-uh-I... What?" She was completely baffled like a little git.

"You've been gaping at me for ages!" He laughed dramatically again. "I know, I'm irresistible, but come on, you can't make it so obvious."

"I wasn't gaping at you."

"Yes you were! Totally gaping."

"Was not."

"Kat, you were. Now come on, lets go." He grabbed her hand again, which sent shivers up her whole arm. _Great..._

He led her down the main aisle that was filled with lots of passerby students and some teachers. They weaved in and out all the way to the end of the road and then stepped into the forest. Kat was becoming very skeptical of James, but soon realized where they were heading when she saw it through the trees. They came to a clearing where a wooden fence surrounded a creepy looking shack, the Shrieking Shack.

"Katharine, this is the-"

"The Shrieking Shack, I know."

"How do you know?" He sounded disappointed and shocked all at the same time.

"It's in my time too. Remember?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, right... Well, do you know why it was built?" He tilted his head to the side with an inquisitive expression.

"I-uh-no-well-maybe..."

"Now how would you know THAT?" He exclaimed.

Katharine giggled. "James, why don't you just tell me the story if you're so eager to?"

"Well, it wouldn't be as fun if you already knew..."

"Just tell me."

"Okay, well... The whole nickname thing in the carriage when Sirius called me Prongs is because I am an unregistered Animagus. We all are except for Remus. I am a stag, Sirius is a black dog named Padfoot, and Peter is a rat named Wormtail. See, we all wanted to become one because Remus... He's, well... He's a werewolf and we call him Moony... This shack was built by Dumbledore so that Remus has a place to run off to once a month..." James paused to let Katharine take all of this in. He noticed her facial expression had shown no sign of amazement from when he had started, to when he had finished.

His eyes narrowed, "You already knew all of this, didn't you?"

"Yep!" Katharine proclaimed.

"Gah, how much more do you know about us? This is crazy! You MUST _know_ me in the future then!"

"Well, I told you, I don't know you _personally_... But I know a lot about you, James."

"You're such a smart ass, Kat," he grinned.

She laughed, "I know."

There was silence for a moment as they both stared at the shack.

"It's always strange seeing it during daylight, since we always visit it in the middle of the night." James said.

"I'm sure," Kat understood. She paused and then asked, "James, what's it like to be an Animagus?"

"What, you don't know the answer to that as well?"

"No..." Katharine said gloomily as she stared at her feet.

"I'm just joking..." He laid a hand on her shoulder to lighten the mood, "I don't know how to explain it, really... It's almost... Exhilarating. Almost as much as Quidditch. Almost." He added as he winked at her. "It's nice to be something that I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not. I mean, when I'm me, I sometimes feel like I have to put on a show being head of the Marauders and Head Boy. But when I'm a stag and hanging out with my best friends, I don't have to worry about that. Sometimes I wish I could stay like that..."

"James, I don't know who you're having to put a show on for, but I know for sure you don't have to put a show on for your friends, or for me."

"I know that, believe me... Well, I know that now, at least," he said. He gave Katharine a sort of half smile, half frown look.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"I was just thinking... I wish you really were a transfer student... Not someone who dropped out of the sky and then I find out she's from the future and can't stay here forever."

"Well, we don't know if I will be able to go back for sure or not," Katharine said without thinking.

"So you don't want to go back, do you?" James' expression completely changed and he had such joy and hope in his eyes.

"Oh, no, James. I didn't..." She sighed. "I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. Don't get your hopes up, please."

"Yeah, yeah. I knew it was too good to be true anyway." He sighed and turned around, "We should head back now. It's been a long day."

Katharine grabbed his wrist and he turned around to face her. "James, I'm really, truly sorry this has happened to you. I never meant to hurt you. But, I need you to be strong with me in this. If you are weak, then I will be weak. We can't slip up. Time is a dangerous thing to play with. You have no idea what's going on in the future. But I do, and I can't let us be the reason we mess it up because we are a couple of teenagers that can't handle their emotions. Okay? Are you hearing me at all on this?"

"Yes, Kat. I hear you." He said flatly.

Katharine did not feel like she had gotten through to him, but she released his wrist anyway and they sulked back towards Hogsmeade.

* * *

**A/N:**

Thank you to anyone that has been keeping up with my story! I'd love some reviews, please! Hope this one was a bit amusing and that the title didn't offend anyone. Believe it or not, it's more difficult to come up with a chapter title than it is to write the story! ;)

Horselover77


	9. There's a Reason for Everything

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**A/N: **This chapter was so hard to write! I'm still not completely happy with it, but I wanna get it out there. I had to look up so many things about the Marauders time, because I want it to be as close to the story as I could get it. So if you see something that wasn't true about Voldemort, let me know.

**Chapter 9**

**There's a Reason for Everything**

Once they returned to the Common Room after eating supper in the Great Hall, Katharine excused herself from the group and ran up to her dorm to drop off her book bag. She wanted to go see Dumbldore immediately. She realized now that getting close to the Marauders was a very bad idea, and she needed Dumbledore to figure out how to get her back. There was no way to keep her a James apart, and she needed to get out now... She just prayed that there was even a way for her to get back.

Her dorm room was empty once again. She threw her satchel onto her bed and turned right back around and headed down the hallway and down the stairs, moving quickly as she was in a bit of a rush. It was getting late and she knew she had to get to Dumbledore's quickly before curfew started. She figured he would give her an excuse after she left, in case some Professor found her out after curfew. After all, she knew she wasn't as slick as the Marauders were about getting around the castle. She only knew a few of their "secret passageways."

She started to walk past the group, hoping they were too engrossed in their conversations to notice her, but realized that was just plain foolish.

"Where are you going?" James was the one to look up of course.

"To see Dumbledore."

"Why not wait till tomorrow? You'll have to be back soon anyway." James was staring at her with his brows furrowed together, as if he was trying to read her mind.

"I can get an excuse from him or something, I'm sure." Katharine crossed her arms. She was slightly irritated with his bossiness and that everyone was staring at her now.

"Don't mind him, Kat, you go do what you need to do." Peter interrupted James before he could interject some more. It was clear they all could see the annoyance written on her face. She often hated herself for being such an open book sometimes.

"Kay, bye." She waved and ran out of the portrait hole before she could be stopped.

She walked quickly down the familiar corridors, giving her mind a chance to reason through everything.

She knew she was falling hard now for James, and she'd only known him for about a week! And apparently he was falling for her rather quickly as well. They must have some magical chemistry going on, she figured. That would be the best explanation for all of this, anyway... And an excuse for her feelings...But then a thought dawned on her and she slowed down her pace.

What if... What if she really was here for a reason? What if hers and James' strong feelings for each other were for a reason? This all couldn't just be based on chance, could it? But... if hers and James' feelings were moving so quickly for a reason... Then that must mean that Harry shouldn't have been born, right? But, why?

She tried to reason through that logic... The more she thought about it, the more she thought it didn't make much sense. The prophecy that Sybill Trelawney said would never have been made about Harry defeating Voldemort... Also, the prophecy that she said when him and Neville were born wouldn't have been true either. Neville would have been the one that would defeat Voldemort, not Harry. Voldemort would have gone after Neville and killed him instead of choosing to go after Harry.

"Oh, this is just absolute rubbish." Katharine expressed her thoughts out loud.

Then she heard quick footsteps down the corridor and quickly searched for somewhere to hide, but it was too late.

A man strode down the hallway towards her, wand raised high and robes billowing as he ran. And he wasn't alone; he had three other men rushing behind him. Katharine automatically reached inside her pocket in search of her wand, and immediately felt like throwing herself up against the wall for being so stupid and forgetting that she no longer had her wand.

The man came right up to her, his wand held inches in front of her face. She stared cross eyed at its tip, completely frozen in place. Where had all of her bravery gone? Oh, that's right. She left it back with her wand.

"Who are you and why are you roaming the corridors after dark?" The man threatened.

"You have no business asking me that." She shot back at him.

It was difficult to make out anything in front of her with a wand shoved in her face and having barely any light to see with other than the torch light they were standing nearby. She surveyed what little of the man's face she could see behind his long hair as he looked down upon her. She could make out a long, hooked nose and his hair was pitch black and very greasy. Suddenly he looked familiar to her and she realized whom was pointing his wand at her face.

"Snivellus..." She hissed at him.

"What the hell did you just call me?" He sneered as he took a step forward.

"She called you Snivellus, now get the hell away from her before I blow your head off!" Came a voice from behind her, and immediately she knew who it was. Had he been following her?

"James!" Katharine hollered as she spun around in time to shove a hand against his chest to keep him from jumping Snape. His eyes screamed anger as they appeared to be on fire in the torch light.

"Of course. It's Potty here to kick some arse and save the day." Snape provoked. His followers sneered as well.

James grabbed Katharine's arm and threw her behind him like she was simply a rag doll. "You better step back, Snivey. Do it now or I swear there will be blood."

"Whatever, Potty. I'm not the one always looking for a fight or someone to punch."

"I don't have to _look_ for someone to punch when you're always popping up in front of me."

They both stepped towards each other when Kat yelled, "Stop it you two, oh my GOSH get over it!"

"Ooo, better listen to this lady here, she's a smart one," Snape laughed.

James stepped forward and pointed his wand in Snape's face. "Don't you _ever _talk to her- touch her- hurt her in any way or anything else that involves _her_. If you do, I will make it the last thing you ever do."

What was with James and his threats? He had a little too much testosterone in him at the moment...

"Yeah, whatever Potty, see if I care," Snape said as he started to turn around.

James began to raise his wand but Katharine quickly grabbed hold of his arm. With Snape's back turned towards them, his minions glared at James and Katharine, but followed suit and the four walked back down the hallway.

"James, what the hell are you doing here? I mean, thank you but nothing was going to happen and all of that fighting was unnecessary." Katharine scolded.

"You didn't have your wand, I didn't want to risk something happening to you. It's Hogwarts, you never know what's going to happen, as you just witnessed." He pointed down the corridor Snape had just disappeared from, "So no, it was completely necessary."

"How did you remember that I didn't have my wand? _I _even momentarily forgot," she said.

"I don't know. Good memory I guess?" He paused and looked down. "Okay, I just didn't like the idea of you walking around in the dark..." He sighed as Katharine could literally see the fire dying in his eyes.

"Well, thanks again but you can go now, I don't need an escort to see the Headmaster," she said as she resumed walking down the hallway.

James followed her. "I'm not going anywhere, Kat, I'll wait for you outside if that will make you happier."

"No, it won't."

"Well, too bad."

Katharine huffed. James was making this MUCH harder for her to stay away from him. "You're ridiculous."

"Get used to it."

She glared while he simply smirked at her.

"So, who were the others with Snape?" She asked after she accepted that he was not going to leave.

"They were his buddies Evan Rosier, Rabastan Lestrange, and Dameon Mulciber. Usually he doesn't have them following him like that, though... All four of them are probably becoming Death Eaters, wouldn't put that past them." Then he added thoughtfully, "They're probably being recruited right now, actually."

"You know what Death Eaters are?" Kat asked, completely surprised.

"Uh, yes, I figured you knew all about that guy."

"That guy as in Voldemort?"

"Yes?" He said questioningly.

"You mean the First Wizarding War is going on right now?"

"Yeeeeeaaaaahhh..." He said slowly, "Why?"

Katharine stopped dead in her tracks, "Oh no... Oh no, no, no, no, NO!" She cried, shaking her head repeatedly. "I thought it was after this time! How could I be so stupid? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She said ridiculously, smacking herself in the head.

"Woah, hey. What's the big deal, anyway?" James asked as he grabbed hold of her wrists.

"That's the person who kidnapped me, James! Oh my, what... That could be why I'm here! What if I'm here because I'm supposed to stop all of this and him gathering his Death Eaters?"

"I think you're over analyzing this just a little."

"No, no, no... I'm not! This time that I'm in right now may have everything to do with what's happening in my time!" She shrieked as she suddenly tore out of James' grip and started running down the corridor, "Hurry, I must talk to Dumbledore!"

Finally, they arrived at the Gargoyle but only stood there and stared at it.

"See why I'm here?" Katharine turned to look at James as he held his head high and continued, "You probably don't even know the password, do you?"

"No, but I have a million guesses, thank you very much." Kat scoffed.

"Jeez, sorry," he said as he deflated.

He simply watched her try nearly a dozen different sweets off the top of her head... With no luck.

"Would you like me to give you the password or not?" James smirked.

"WHAT? You know the password? Well, bloody give it then!" Katharine shrieked.

"Chocolate Pasties."

"Well, I was close. I said Pumpkin Pasties," she growled.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Parker." He grinned.

Katharine tossed her hair irritably and left James in the corridor. She ran up the staircase and rapped the door at the top three times. She heard a mumble inside and opened the door.

Dumbledore had been pacing his office. Kat could tell by the fact that he was standing mid-stride in the middle of his office with his hands behind his back.

"Good evening, Miss Parker." He nodded his head at her.

"Good evening, sir."

"Come sit," he said, walking up the few steps and around his desk to his chair. He conjured up a chair and Katharine took her place across from him. This felt all too familiar to her.

"I know you are wondering why I have not spoken with you. You see, I've been thinking a lot about your situation and... I'm sorry Miss Parker, but I have had no luck in finding a way for you to return to the future. And no one on my staff has been able to help me either." Dumbledore frowned.

"Wh- What? You haven't found a thing? But I was hoping you had! You're the greatest wizard I know, Professor!"

"Yes, but this is such a rare situation... I can't understand why you came back to this time... Why here, why now..." Dumbledore spoke slowly and held his hairy chin in his hand.

"Actually, I think I might have a possible answer at least to why I've come back to _this_ time..." Katharine said quietly.

"Do you now?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling behind his spectacles.

"Well, I'm sure you know who Tom Riddle is? Or, now known as Voldemort?"

"Yes, of course. You also told me when you arrived that he was the one whom kidnapped you?"

"Yes he was. And I have realized now that I have come back to this time where he first became powerful."

"He began forming his army about five years ago in 1970, who are known as his Death Eaters. He has mostly been attacking muggles and muggle borns, but it has been kept quiet." Dumbledore stated skeptically.

"I know as well that you have made your own army called the Order of the Phoenix," she said.

He cocked a snowy eyebrow, "Yes, I have a number of witches and wizards in my secret army who are tracking Voldemort so I that may remain Headmaster here."

"Well, I feel like I am here for a reason and that I should share everything with you about the future. I feel like we really should change the future, it only gets worse from here up to my time. And I just feel like so much can be changed from this point on." Katharine was finding it very difficult to get her thoughts out, much less get her words to makes sense.

"Time is a terrible thing to mess with, Miss Parker. It is not your job to fix the future. No matter how traumatic it is."

"But you will understand what I mean once I tell you everything, I _really_ think you should hear what I have to say. Voldemort has ruined everything in my time... Why would you not want to hear about the future when you are given the opportunity to stop Voldemort _now_?"

Dumbledore remained silent for a moment.

"Okay, Miss Parker. Give me a brief overview." He said as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his long, bushy beard.

Katharine quickly rushed through everything she could possibly think of. She told him about Harry, told him that he was James and Lily's son and that Voldemort attempted to kill him and that now he is (or was, or to be, whatever) the Chosen One. She told him about the prophecies. She told him all about the Horcruxes, which was probably the most significant part of the future. Everything about Voldemort revolved around the Horcruxes. The sooner that Dumbledore knew about them, the sooner he could destroy them or maybe even stop Voldemort from making the rest of them if they weren't already finished. She also told him about Peter betraying James and Lily, resulting in their death, and also told him that Snape was being recruited to become a Death Eater. By the time she had reached that point in her story, she didn't care how much she told him. She just wanted all possibilities of James and Lily to remain alive for Harry, so that he may finally know his parents...

When she finished, Dumbledore stared at her for a split second, and then suddenly stood up and ran over to the pictures of the previous Headmasters of the school.

He ordered almost every painting to go notify this person and that person and tell them everything that Katharine had just told him. He ordered them to tell the others in the Order to work faster in locating Voldemort and he ordered other paintings many more things that Katharine started to lose track of.

"Sir?" She tried to get his attention. He ignored her.

"Sir!" She shouted again. She now had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach for some reason...

He turned around with his finger pointing in midair as he had been pointing at different paintings.

"Did I tell you too much? Did I just completely jeopardize the future?"

"No, Miss Parker. I think you are absolutely right. I think we can change the future together," his blue eyes lit up again.

"I just don't want to change Harry's fate. And I want James and Lily to stay alive if at all possible..."

"We don't know what the future may bring, but we can try." He said with a small smile.

"Also, sir, I have to mention something else." She paused and took a deep breath. "Voldemort and his Death Eaters killed my whole family... _Your_ family too. Can we change that too?"

"Oh, Miss Parker... Once again, we can't control everything that happens. But, if we are able to stop Voldemort now, I'm sure all of that will fall into place."

Katharine faintly returned his smile and nodded in agreement.

"Now, if you have nothing more to tell me, you may go back to your dorm. I must finish business."

"Yes sir. Oh, I forgot to mention to you that I don't have my wand. Voldemort stole it before I was sent here."

"Ah, yes. I can have Mr. Ollivander make you another."

"Thank you, sir. It's ten and a half inches, willow, and a tail hair of an Aethonan."

"Yes ma'am, got it." He beamed as he tapped his head with his wand showing that he will remember it.

"Thank you again, sir," Kat said as she walked towards the door.

"Oh, and if anyone stops you along the corridors, just have them speak with me and I shall take care of it."

Katharine nodded at Dumbledore one last time and left the room. She walked down the stairs and then nearly had a heart attack when James popped out in front of her at the bottom. She had forgotten that he had been waiting.

"Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He laughed after she regained composure. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's alright," she mumbled as they headed back down the dark corridor.

"Kat, what's wrong? What did you guys talk about?"

"He hasn't found a way to get me back... And I told him everything about Voldemort. We think we might be able to change some things about the future... Only I can't get this horrible feeling to go away." She said as she kept her head down.

"It sounds to me like you did the right thing. What would be so bad about changing the future a little? Especially if it's for the good?"

"Because I'm worried it might change the fate of someone I love very much."

"Who would that be?" He asked.

"I can't tell you." She said, feeling his intense gaze upon her.

"Why not?"

"There are just some things I can't tell you or it could ruin your future too."

"Hey," James stopped and grabbed a hold of both of her shoulders, "I'm sorry. I can be quite nosy sometimes. But if you need to talk, just don't forget I'm right here for you, alright?"

She nodded her head, keeping her eyes down. "Trust me, I could never forget about you," she whispered.

Then James pulled her close and embraced her in a tight hug. She hadn't hugged anyone in so long and kinda felt safe in his arms... Next thing she knew, tears started swelling up in her eyes and she couldn't help but let them fall and make James' shirt completely wet. She sobbed and sobbed into his chest while he said comforting words to her and stroked her hair. They stood like that for what felt like hours, but really was only a few minutes.

Finally when Katharine was able to compose herself, they headed back down the corridor. James grabbed hold of her hand and intertwined their fingers. He smiled at her and she just couldn't find the courage to let go and take her hand back. She knew it was wrong to hold his hand, but her emotions were getting the best of her. James was so sweet. He seemed like a completely different person to her than the way the older Sirius and Remus had described him. He didn't seem like such an arrogant prick that was completely obsessed with getting girls or pranking people like the others were. Maybe he still was that person, though. Maybe he only acted like a gentleman around her. She found she didn't really mind that. Oh boy, the predicament she was in...

They came to the portrait of the Fat Lady and faced each other in front of it. The Fat Lady was fast asleep in front of them and Katharine kinda felt bad that she would have to wake her.

"Thank you for walking with me and you know... Comforting me and all..." She said, staring at their intertwined hands.

"Once again, you don't have to thank me, babe." He grinned at her as she blushed uncontrollably when she looked up at him.

"Well, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," she said awkwardly.

James chuckled. "Yup, one more day before classes resume."

"Yep," she agreed.

Then James pulled her into another long hug. She breathed in his scent and sighed contently into his chest. Now that her nose wasn't stuffed up, she could really tell how unbelievably amazing he smelled.

She turned her head and laid her ear across his chest, listening to his heart beat. Then suddenly, she decided that from now on, she would do everything in her power to keep that heart beating. He and Lily deserved that... Harry deserved that.

He kissed the top of her head and sadly let go. "Goodnight, Kat," he smiled down upon her.

"'Night," she barely breathed. She watched him walk away as he headed back to his dormitory; then she woke the Fat Lady, whom growled at her but let her in after she said the password.

The Common Room was empty, thank goodness. She climbed the stairs and went to her dormitory. Her roommates were all asleep, so she quietly undressed, brushed her teeth in the bathroom, and hopped into bed. She sighed as she snuggled into her pillow, and fell asleep almost instantly... Her last thoughts were of James.

* * *

James laid awake in bed for hours, thinking about someone that had recently been on his mind every second of every day since they had first met.

He couldn't completely wrap his mind around the subject. She was a mystery to him. He hardly knew her, but he couldn't stop himself about the feelings he had for her. Sure, at first he _did_ think that he only liked her because she was "the new girl." But honestly, now he knew that wasn't true at all.

That night when he met her, he felt an instant connection with her. Almost like love at first sight, even though he felt completely ridiculous for thinking that way. When he saw her all battered and bruised, he made a subconscious decision that he would never let anything like that happen to her again. And he didn't even know who she was!

He felt like... Almost like he couldn't imagine how life would be if he had never met her.

He liked to think that she was here for him. That he was the reason she came back in time. That he would have led a terrible, lonely life without her.

But then, he _used_ to feel that way about Lily. He used to think that Lily was the one he couldn't imagine never being in his life. She used to mean everything to him. She used to be the one he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. But so much had changed in just one week...

Now, all he cared about was being with Katharine. All he wanted to do was be in her presence. He didn't want her to go back to her time. He wanted her to stay here forever, no matter how much it changed the future. And what was worse, was that he knew she wanted it too deep down. It was like he could feel her feelings. She was like an open book to him. He could read her emotions almost as if she spoke them out loud.

He knew he was being selfish but he couldn't help it. She told him that he should put his feelings aside and realize that they could never be together... But he knew she was full of it.

She was keeping something from him. Something big.

So he wouldn't give up. He would try his hardest to keep Katharine here. To make her see that she was meant to be with him all along. He didn't care what his friends would say to him. He knew he was crazy, but he was crazy about _her_. She had this aura around her and he was trapped in it, and he wanted to be trapped there forever.


	10. Settling In

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 10**

**Settling In**

The next morning, Katharine vaguely remembered a dream about her standing in the middle of an arguing father and son. They both looked strikingly similar, both with black, messy hair and wore identical glasses; however, behind each pair of glasses sat completely different eyes... Completely gorgeous eyes each that made Kat weak to her knees... She realized shortly after that they were fighting over her, and that she was torn between which one to choose. Thankfully, she was brought back to reality shortly after this discovery by a strange feeling that someone was watching her.

Slowly but surely she became more aware of her surroundings. With her eyes still closed, she heard voices around her.

"You really should stop staring at her, Jordan. It's just weird." Katharine heard a girl speak with a bored tone.

"But, I find it so interesting! She was talking too, I love listening to people talk in their sleep!" Came a much louder, ecstatic voice that awfully felt like it came from directly in front of her face.

Katharine slowly fluttered her eyes open. At first, her vision was of some peachy skin with freckles and bright blue eyeballs. Then, the eyeballs widened in shock and the girl shrieked and leaped backwards, falling onto her butt.

"Told you you'd wake her." The girl with the bored voice said.

Katharine turned her gaze to the girl that spoke. She stood across the room with her arms crossed. She had curly black hair that barely grazed the top of her shoulders and very pale white skin. She had a slight goth look to her along with her lip ring. The girl that had apparently been watching her sleep was now back on her feet and stood next to the other girl. She had fluffy blonde hair that was very layered and rested on her shoulders. She had fairly large teeth for her petite body, and was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Erm, good morning." Katharine said as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm Katharine Parker."

"Hi Katharine! I'm Jordan Baham and this is Laura Hunter," the excited blonde girl said as she introduced the black haired girl next to her. "So sorry I woke you!"

"You sure are chipper for someone up so early in the morning," Katharine said as she threw off her covers and sat on the side of her bed.

Laura laughed, "Oh, she's always this hyper. It's not that early anyway, it's about nine o' clock. We've already been to breakfast and back. We thought you'd be up when we got back but then we didn't have the heart to wake you... You seemed so tired, even as you were sleeping."

"Oh," Katharine chuckled. "That's alright, I guess I needed the sleep then." Katharine started to stand up when Jordan asked her a difficult question.

"So who's Harry?" Kat looked up, eyes wide. Laura elbowed Jordan in the ribs, however, she went on anyway. "I mean, we have a pretty good idea of who James is, I mean, who _doesn't _dream about James Potter," she said dreamily, ironically enough.

"Oh, um..." Katharine stalled. She figured she should be honest at least on certain things that she was able to be honest about. There was no reason for her to lie to her roommates. "Harry was my boyfriend back at home."

"Oh _noooooo_," Jordan dragged on the last word. This girl was a hoot, Katharine thought. "That's so sad, you had to break up because you were transferred, didn't you?"

"Uh, yes," Katharine agreed. "I'm still not quite over him," she admitted.

"Well, sounds like you've moved on already. You were trying to choose between James and Harry." Laura laughed, "Sorry, but we couldn't help but listen to you."

"Oh, that's quite alright," Katharine said awkwardly. She didn't normally talk in her sleep. It must have been a pretty traumatic dream then.

She then stood up and picked out some clothes from her drawers.

"Ooo, ooo! Wear this that I gave you, please!" Jordan strode over to her side and began rummaging through her clothes. Katharine grinned from under her fallen hair, entirely amused by this cute, little person.

She pulled out a pretty purple flannel shirt with black plaid stripes on it.

"Thanks. Purple is actually my favorite color," Katharine smiled at her. She pulled herself out another pair of jeans and a black spaghetti strap tank to wear underneath.

"Well, I'm gonna go take a shower. Maybe we can hang out some today before classes start tomorrow?" Katharine offered.

"That's what we were planning on, actually! Laura, Renee, and I can show you around the castle," Jordan exclaimed.

Katharine hesitantly agreed to it. She knew the castle like the back of her hand, but figured it would probably be best to let them escort her around so she could play along with the "new student" title.

After her shower and scrunching her long wet hair, she headed down towards the Common Room where her three roommates waited for her. The Marauders were no where in sight, to Katharine's disappointment.

"Here, I saved you something to eat. Sorry it's kinda cold now." Renee said as she handed her a bacon and egg biscuit wrapped in a napkin.

"You're so sweet. Thank you." She said, accepting her breakfast.

"Come on, you can eat it on the way. We're gonna show you around the castle first and then we'll head towards the grounds," Laura explained.

The four girls walked leisurely around the Hogwarts campus, Renee holding Katharine's class schedule that was the same as hers. They showed her all of the classrooms that she would be in, where the Library was, etc. Katharine had always known how big the school was, but it really dawned on her now just exactly how BIG it really was! It took them over an hour to walk around the entire castle and she felt as if she had already burned off that biscuit.

Then they headed towards the grounds. They showed Katharine the Herbology greenhouses, the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest and explained all of the rules to her about that and also filled her in about Mr. Filch and his annoying ways. From the forest, they walked to Hagrid's hut and said hello to him.

"Hi Hagrid!" Jordan greeted him cheerfully.

"Well, hello there ladies! What brings you down this way?" Hagrid greeted them back. He was tending to his large pumpkin patch in front of his hut. He had some pumpkins growing that were twice the size of all four girls combined. Katharine supposed they would be for Halloween coming up next month.

"We're just giving Katharine a tour of the grounds and such and we just had to bring her by, sir!" Jordan continued.

"Ah, yes, the transfer student! How are you feeling?" He said, looking down upon her.

"I'm feeling loads better, thank you. Ready to start my classes tomorrow."

"I bet you are after sitting in the Hospital Wing for a week!" Hagrid said. Katharine's eyes bulged out and she turned toward her friends, who's expressions were thoroughly confused.

"You've been here for a week?" They all sang.

"I thought you just arrived yesterday," Renee said.

"Why were you in the Hospital Wing?" Laura asked.

"If we had known, we would have said hi!" Jordan rang.

"Guys, it's alright. I was in an accident on my way here, that's why I was a little bruised up. No worries. Professor Dumbledore just didn't want everyone visiting me for that very reason," Katharine added with a smirk at Jordan.

"Aaaahhhh, I understand," she sighed.

"Well, we best be moving on, Kat!" Renee ushered.

Before she followed them back up the hill, Katharine asked, "Can I visit you more often, Hagrid?" She found that she rather missed his company and realized she felt this warm feeling of home when she was around him. She would love to spend some time with him and get to know the younger Hagrid.

"Of course, you may! Come by any time!" He beamed from ear to ear.

Katharine waved goodbye and followed the girls up the steep hill back towards the castle. They immediately engrossed in conversation.

Kat was shocked at how much she was enjoying their company. They immediately started up a conversation and she enjoyed how easy it was for her to talk to them. Aside from having to keep her time traveling a secret, she was able to be herself with these girls.

"So where to now?" Katharine asked after she had just explained to them about her Quidditch days.

"Well, now that you mentioned you played Quidditch, the last place we have to go is the Quidditch field. Practice starts next month, but I know some people like to get a head start." Renee winked at her.

Katharine took that as "James and Sirius."

"I've already been with James, but that's okay, we can go again." Katharine smiled for obvious reasons but only Renee could really pick up on it since she had been around her longer. Oops.

They arrived at the Quidditch field and sure enough, there were a few players flying around.

The girls walked up the stairs and sat on the high bleachers. They watched the players goof off in the sky as they continued chattering, enjoying the fresh air.

Katharine, of course, got caught up in watching James up in the sky. He frequently stopped to turn back at the bleachers, probably looking to see if she was watching. He flew around and bumped into Sirius quite often just to piss him off. Sirius chased after him, who weaved in and out of the high columns surrounding the oval field. Sirius was a fair flyer, but definitely not as quick as James.

"Kat?" Laura called her name, pulling her out of her daze.

"Sorry?" Kat asked confused.

"I said that you should try out for the Quidditch team!"

"Me? No, I don't... I don't think so..."

"Oh, why not?" Jordan pressed. "You were just going on and on about it, you totally should try out! Ask James, he's the captain. See if they're looking for a chaser!"

Then, as if his ears had been ringing while they were talking about him, James suddenly swooped down out of no where and landed right in front of Kat.

"Hi," he said breathlessly, looking her right in the eyes. "It's great to see you again," he smiled crookedly.

Katharine's cheeks turned bright pink and she could feel all three girls intensely staring at them.

"Yeah... Feels like only yesterday since I last saw you," she teased. He smirked in return and ran his gloved hand through his already ruffled hair.

"Hey Kat, weren't you about to ask James something right before he landed?" Renee said with the biggest grin on her face.

"Reneeeeeeee." Katharine hissed under her breath. James lifted one eyebrow and waited for her to ask.

"I... Uh... I..."

"Damn-it, Kat, just ask him already!" Laura pressed as she appeared to be getting annoyed.

"The girls think that I should try out for the team." Kat blurted out quickly, making sure she blamed the other girls for asking.

"Of course! Why hadn't I thought of that when you told me you played? That would be awesome!" He nodded and placed a hand on her should, "Right then, you are trying out for the team in two weeks, after we go talk to Madam Hooch, of course." He said with finality.

"Uh, no I'm not." Kat interjected.

He laughed boisterously, which she found rather annoying. "Oh, yes you are."

"But you'll put me on the team whether I'm good or not!"

"Kat, I've seen you fly. I think you're really good."

"But, you'll put me on the team either way, you know you will. That's not fair, I won't do it."

James gasped dramatically as he clutched his chest and attempted to look offended, "I can't believe you actually think that I would jeopardize my team's chance of winning the Quidditch Cup, just to have the girl that I fancy on my team!"

"I can't believe you just said out loud that you fancy me," Kat said without thinking at all. Damn. She had been doing that a lot lately.

This stumped James.

"Well, uh, you know... I mean, everybody knows already... I mean, come on. Pshh." He attempted to cover up but the girls began giggling hysterically, except for Kat. She watched the infamous James Potter, whom apparently flirted with every girl in the school alongside Sirius, stump at the fact that he fancied her. Shit!

James eventually got fed up with his humiliation. He threw his hand up in the air and said, "Whatever, laugh all you want. You just wish it was you I fancied!" And he mounted his broom again and kicked off.

The girls laughed a little longer as Katharine stared after James, completely dumbfounded. What did he see in her that was so great? She didn't get it.

"Wow, Kat. You should feel lucky. I don't think I've ever seen James so tongue tied. Not even when he was talking to Lily!" Renee said after she regained composure.

"Yeah... Thanks a lot, guys."

"Oh, honey, what's the big deal anyway?" Jordan asked.

"Nothing..." Kat lied. Thankfully, the girls didn't pursue the subject, so Kat tried to strike up another conversation.

"So who are the other guys playing with James and Sirius?"

"That one over there that's tall and lanky with dirty blonde hair," Laura paused to point at the guy and Kat nodded as she spotted him, "is Eric. He's captain of the Ravenclaw team... And might have a little crush on Jordan over here, who refuses to admit that she likes him back."

Jordan was about to protest again but Laura spoke over her, "And that other boy who's kinda beastly with brown hair, he's my fiancé, Daniel. Beater on the Hufflepuff team."

"Ah, cool." Katharine said nonchalantly.

Then all of the boys in the sky started to decline towards the ground. They all dismounted and headed for the Quidditch tent.

"Come on, lets go meet them down there," Renee said as she stood up.

"Uh, you guys go without me. I think James is still a little ticked off at me and I don't want to make it worse..." Katharine said.

"Oh please, James doesn't ever get mad. He was totally teasing you there. Oh, girl, you still have much to learn about his flirting style." Renee winked at her again.

That didn't really make Kat feel any better. If anything, it made her feel worse. His flirting style? Was that really his reputation here?

"Oh, just come on," Laura grabbed her hand and drug her down the stairs, Renee and Jordan right on their heels.

"Hey baby! Like what you saw out there?" Sirius greeted Renee with a small peck on the lips as they entered the tent, Katharine lingering in the back.

"Oh yes, you guys were marvelous, as always," Renee grinned. Apparently she had it down with the compliments that seemed to boost Sirius' ego.

James laughed and clapped Sirius on the shoulder, "Yeah, we know."

Laura and Jordan both walked over to "their" men. Jeez, what's up with all of them going after Quidditch boys?

Then James started to walk over to her.

"So, Kat," he was all smiles as he approached her, "about you trying out for the team..."

"James, now that this is between you and me, I really don't think I should try out for the team. What if I get to go back to my own time?" She tried to reason with him.

"Oh whatever," he attempted to blow off the chance of her ever going back, "I think it's safe to say that you will be here for a while and deserve to be a part of something you enjoy. Come on, you know you wanna, Sweetie." He grinned at her mischievously. That was the second time he had called her Sweetie, and about the quadrillionth time he had made her blush. She gave in.

"Okay, James. Have it your way."

"Ha! I knew you'd come around," he beamed. He then wrapped his arm around her waste and pulled her alongside.

"Sirius, mate, let's make a quick run with Kat here to Madam Hooch. She'd like to try out for the Quidditch team!" He hollered across the tent to Sirius, who was hugging Renee pretty closely.

"You mean _you'd _like me to try out for the team," Kat huffed.

"Oh, hush." James said as he squeezed her closely. Gosh, everyone was so bossy here!

"Right!" Sirius hollered back. He skipped up to them and he and James linked their arms into each of Katharine's arms, and the three of them trotted out of the tent back to the castle. Katharine got the feeling that they each had a hold of her arm in case she tried to run away and/or back out. Surprisingly, she found this rather amusing.


	11. Blah Blah Blah

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**A/N: Just so you all know, I plan on this being a long story with many chapters. That's why its moving slowly. So this chapter is just a fun chapter to read, getting to know the everyday life of a Hogwarts student.**

**Chapter 11**

**Blah Blah Blah**

The next morning, it took all of Katharine's strength to peel herself out of bed, even though it was ridiculously loud in the dorm. She had not slept well at all, which was just her luck on the first day of class. She sat on her bed and rubbed her eyes, allowing herself a chance to fully wake. She looked around at the source of all of the noise and watched the other girls hustling to get ready.

"'Morning guys," Kat said groggily.

"Morning, Kat! Shower is all yours. Laura is in the other one," Renee said as she was blow drying her hair with the tip of her wand in one hand and brushing it out with the other.

Kat was about to stand up when she noticed a long, rectangular box placed on her night table. Her heart skipped a beat as she snatched the box and ripped the top off. There it was, her beloved wand, only much newer. She picked it up and immediately a red glow burst from the tip. Yes, it felt just right. She felt nearly complete now. Then she wondered how it got there, but no matter, she had it now and just in time for classes to start.

As she grabbed her uniform and everything else she needed to get ready, she thought about the previous day...

* * *

James, Sirius, and her had visited Madam Hooch in her office and asked permission if she could try out for the Quidditch team. Everybody that wished to try out had to go through Madam Hooch, however once tryouts started, it was the Captain and Madam Hooch together that would choose who would be on the team. She had said yes as long as Kat got some practicing in before tryouts.

The rest of their day consisted of the Marauders planning some new prank that Katharine refused to be a part of. She tagged along to James' Head dormitory until it was time for dinner. Katharine couldn't believe how comfortable the Marauders made her feel. They were such goof balls and she literally could not stop laughing the entire time she was with them.

After dinner they headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room, where Remus challenged her to a game of Wizard's Chess. Thanks to Ron's lessons, she had become fond of the board game. However, that didn't mean she was any good at it.

While she and Remus played chess in one of the corners of the common room, Sirius and Peter sat at the table and moaned and groaned over their homework they had waited to do until the last minute. James had pulled up a chair next to Kat and Remus and was watching their game intently until it was time for him and Lily to make their nightly patrol. He kept instructing Katharine on what to do, however, and was making her extremely anxious.

"Nah ah ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," James interrupted her as she was in the process of speaking her Knight's move.

She finally rounded on him, "Well, you aren't the one playing are you? So shut up!" This humored James as he chuckled at her annoyance. Remus simply sat back in his chair and grinned at the two. Like he would really care much since he was winning.

"Bishop to F three," she said.

Her knight moved over to Remus' last pawn and stabbed it, which crumbled into pieces. She picked up the pieces and moved them to the side.

Remus grinned widely and said, "Queen to F three."

His queen moved over to her bishop and completely slaughtered it.

"Check mate."

Katharine quickly scanned the board for somewhere to move her king, not believing that she was really in check mate. Defeated, she slammed her fist on the table, "Dammit! James, if you hadn't been distracting me-" She began accusing him. Remus was laughing hysterically.

"Hey, don't start blaming me!" He defended as he threw his hands up. "That was aaaaaall your doing, my lady. I only tried to help you." He smirked as he cocked his head to the side.

"Whatever." She said, shoving the the board game away from her.

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser." James said.

Katharine stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't you think I deserve something?" Remus said as he mockingly began to bow.

"Yeah, yeah. Good game, Remus." Katharine scoffed.

Then, the portrait hole opened and in came Lily. She glided over to the three of them and greeted Katharine, not evening looking at James yet.

"Hi Katharine, you're looking better."

"Thanks, Lily," Kat smiled up at her.

"Hey, if you need any help with your classes and such tomorrow, just let me know okay? I realized our first meeting wasn't so... Nice." Lily said for lack of better words.

"I most definitely will ask you first," Kat said.

Then, as if Lily had some kind of bipolar disorder, her mood completely changed as she cocked her head to the side and spoke to James with such a disdainful tone, "You ready or what?"

James' eyebrows narrowed together. He didn't reply as he stood up. He only looked back at them, rolled his eyes, and followed Lily out of the room.

Katharine was lost in thought as she stared at where the two had disappeared from the Common Room. She was brought back by Remus snorting.

"What?" She looked around, confused.

"Oh come off it," Remus grinned. Sirius then slammed his books shut and scooted his chair over to the two. Peter followed suit.

"Come off what?" She asked irritably as she eyed Sirius slide over next to her.

"We aren't blind, Kat. We see the way you look at him." Sirius nodded towards the hole.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kat lied.

"You don't have to lie, there's nothing wrong with it." Peter smiled at her.

"I..." Kat didn't know how to respond.

"Listen," Sirius clapped a hand onto her shoulder, "I think you might be the best thing that has come into James' life. This past week, James has literally become a completely different person. He's actually _matured_." He shuttered as if he couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth. "I mean, I must say I kind of miss the smart ass, cocky James. He's still there, but not as much when you're around, and definitely not as much as I am..."

"You can say that again," Peter snorted.

Sirius continued as if he had never heard him, "When he was chasing Lily and asking her out every minute of every day, he was usually in a bad mood after she rejected him and so he would pick on someone lesser than him. Anyway, I think it's a good thing that he's met you and I hope you lighten up a bit."

Kat shrugged off his hand, "I don't want to change him, Sirius, and I won't lighten up. I mean, is it supposed to make me happy that I've stopped him from being a terrible bully?"

"It should," Remus said.

"Well it doesn't. He needs to understand he can't be with me. I just want to get back to my own time. The longer I'm here, the more I change the future." She sighed as she stared at the broken chess pieces she played with in her hands.

"Kat, have you even thought about yet that you might be here for a reason?" Remus offered.

"Like what?"

"Maybe for James?"

She laughed humorlessly, "Oh yeah, like I was sent to the past only to fix a poor, selfish, egotistical boy and his mates in crime. Ha! I highly doubt that."

The boys stared back at her silently and she suddenly realized how harsh she had been.

"Okay, look, I understand that you all are concerned about your best friend," she looked them all in the eyes, "but I have bigger problems to deal with than to try and fix woman-less James. And yes, I have thought about that, Remus. All the bloody time. But I don't think I'm here for James. I think I'm here to fix something else in the future that has to do with Voldemort."

She noticed Peter winced as she said his name. Hmm...

"Really?" Sirius asked, his attention completely diverted. "Like what?"

"I can't tell you. I would say too much. Now, if you all would excuse me, I need to go get my school books and such ready for tomorrow." After she gave her lame excuse to leave, she headed for the girls dormitory without another word.

* * *

And now here Katharine was, about to go back down to the Common Room to face the Marauders once again.

She was so lost. Should she just ignore the Marauders all together now? Or just learn how to control her emotions? The longer she was friends with them, the more she got this terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was damaging her future.

Why did she have to like them _so_ _much_? Why did the thought of ignoring them cause a terrible pain in her heart?

What was even worse, was that over the last two days or so, she noticed that she wasn't able to remember certain things from her time. Certain memories she had of her family, friends... Harry... She felt like her future was slipping away with each passing day. Her memory was slipping away so badly that when she tried to remember Harry's face, she would see more of James in it than ever before.

So why couldn't she just get a hold of herself and be reasonable? She hadn't even fallen for Harry in such a short amount of time! Why was James so different? She wished so badly that she could talk to someone. Someone to answer all of these silly questions. She was so homesick and stressed about all of this, that it was literally making her body sick. She didn't sleep well because of her many trips to the bathroom during the night to puke her guts out.

She sighed heavily before she opened her dormitory door and headed downstairs towards the common room. Apparently nobody had waited for her, seeing as the common room was completely empty.

So she walked alone to the Great Hall. She figured that's where everyone had run to. Eating a good breakfast was critical before attending classes, at least that's what the boys' excuses were.

"Hey there, sleepy head," came a silky whisper next to her ear. She jumped in surprise and spun around.

James was standing right next to her, messy hair and all.

"Would you stop doing that to me, please?" Kat breathed out as she clutched her chest. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't realized anyone was behind her.

He chuckled, "Sorry, I thought you had heard me coming down the hall. I'm surprised you're just now getting to breakfast. Didn't know there was actually a female that slept in as long as I do," he winked at her.

"Well, I slept awful so I tried to stay in bed as long as possible." She continued down the corridor with James following.

He then placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her closer, which sent shivers up her spine. "Why'd you sleep so badly, my dear?"

"I uh... I was puking my guts up all night." She answered him dumbly.

"What? Why?" James exclaimed as he grabbed her arm and placed the back of his palm against her forehead. "Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing, you actually do look kinda pale." He stated more than asked her.

"Oh, don't be such a pansy." She continued down the hall. "My stress level and nerves are just shot."

"Nerves about me, huh?" He grinned wildly.

"Just a little," she confessed.

He choked slightly, "Wow, I didn't think you were actually going to admit it."

"I'm just too exhausted today to play games with you, James."

"I'm not trying to play games with you, Kat..." He sounded offended.

She sighed as they entered the Great Hall. They walked over to the other Marauders and her roommates. She threw her book bag under the bench and sat next to Laura while James of course took the seat next to her on her right.

"Well, funny you two are joining us _together_," Sirius said from across the table as he shoved more bacon into his mouth.

Katharine glared murderously at him and his grin quickly wiped off of his face.

"So, Kat, looking forward to starting your lessons today?" Renee asked, whom was sitting next to Sirius. She handed her a piece of toast that Katharine had been trying to reach.

"Thanks." She said as she took the toast, "And yeah, I guess I'm kinda excited to have something to do."

Renee read off their schedule to her, "Well, we have Charms first today with the Ravenclaws and then Arithmancy after that with the Slytherins-"

"What? I'm in Arithmancy?" Kat exclaimed as she accidentally spewed her toast out of her mouth. "I HATE Arithmancy..." She whimpered.

"Well, Dumbledore put you in it so..."

"Don't worry, Kat, I'm in Arithmancy with you so I can help you if you need it. I'm pretty good at numbers." James offered.

Renee continued, "And then we have Transfiguration and after lunch we will have double Potions with the Slytherins again..."

"Wow, sounds like such a fun Monday..." Kat said sarcastically.

"Well, tomorrow will be better, at least. We have History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology."

"Cool, sounds good."

Katharine didn't eat much else after her slice of toast so she decided to excuse herself and get some alone time before class.

"Wait, do you remember where the Charms classroom is?" Renee hollared after her.

"Yes, don't worry, I remember." She glanced back and noticed all eyes were on her: James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Renee, Jordan, and Laura. But she couldn't think about that, she needed to limit her time with them.

She left the Great Hall and decided to walk outside for a little while. She had about fifteen minutes to spare before she had to head to class in twenty.

She crossed the grounds and went for a huge oak tree by the Black Lake. It was her usual spot she liked to study at when she needed to focus. As she got closer to it, she realized she wasn't the only one that liked to sit by it, past or future.

She saw her bright red hair hung over her face that was pressed into a book, and thought it might be nice to talk to her a little. So she walked right up to her.

"Hi Lily!" She said a little too cheerfully for her normal behavior.

Lily looked up in surprise and slipped her hair behind her ear. "Oh hey, Katharine! What's up?" She asked curiously as she was probably wondering why Katharine was there.

"Well I _was _coming to this tree for the very same reason you're here..." she laughed.

"Oh, well here, have a seat!" Lily said as she moved her book bag to the other side of her.

"Thanks," she said as she sat down and leaned against the big trunk. Lily was watching her closely, as if studying her face. Kat felt a little uncomfortable under her intense gaze. "Soooo..." She said to break the ice.

Lily giggled, "Sorry, I don't mean to stare. I find... I do that a lot." She smiled sheepishly.

"That's alright. Happens to us all."

"So, um, how do you like it here so far?" Lily asked, positioning herself more towards her.

"So far, it's been really nice. Everyone here seems much more friendly than they were where I came from." Shit, she had said too much.

"Really? And where did you come from exactly? I _did_ think it was a bit strange letting a seventh year come to Hogwarts..."

"Yeah well, um," Kat paused for a second, "I was having a real hard time with, uh, people at my other school that's in Ireland. It's small and hardly known of really..." Gosh, she was a terrible liar.

"Oh... Okay..." Lily said but did not push the subject.

"Yeah, so uh, you and Potter, huh?" That didn't come out as smoothly as Katharine had wanted, but she really wanted to know how Lily felt about him... Aaaand to get off the subject of where she came from... She just couldn't understand why they hated each other so much when they were supposed to be dating soon.

"What about Potter?" Lily's tone became defensive.

"Sorry, I was just wondering, you know, since I've hung around him a little. I understand he's been after you for quite some time? Why don't you two have a go?"

"Have you not noticed how obnoxious he is? Why would I want to go after that? Someone who hexes people just because he can and treats women like they're a piece of meat?"

Katharine laughed, "I don't think he's quite _that _bad, Lily."

"Well, you just haven't been here long enough. Just wait, you'll see." Lily nodded her head.

"Well, I think he really fancies you and that you should give him a chance. I've seen a different side of him from what the other Marauders have told me. I think you two would be perfect together." Kat smiled at her.

"Why are you being so pushy? And it seems to me that he's already moved on to you anyway... So why don't you have a go at him?"

"Oh no, I uh... I couldn't. I just came out of a relationship that had to end... Because I was moving... So... Plus, he reminds me of mine too much, so... Yeah." That was terrible. No way was she going to believe that.

"Oh, I'm sorry... Well, you never did say that you didn't like him back or anything. So maybe _you'll_ come around." Lily winked at her.

"No, you don't understand. I _can't _like him..." Kat tried to explain.

"I'm not following you."

"Oh, forget it. Never mind. I think it's time for me to get going anyway." Katharine proceeded to get up.

"You have Charms first, right?"

"Yes, how did you-?"

"I'm Head Girl, I know quite a lot. I'm in Charms too, so I'll walk with you."

The two girls went back to the castle and on to their class on the third floor. They chatted some more along the way. Lily asked her about her family and she found out they were both muggle born, even though Kat already knew this. She had to tell her that she was an orphan though and this caused an awkward silence that was held the rest of the way to class.

Students were starting to pick their seats along the double rows of extremely long benches and desks that lined three walls of the room. There was a long aisle down the middle of the classroom and a bunch of books stacked upon a desk in the front of the classroom, which Katharine knew to be where Professor Flitwick would stand up on to be seen by everyone.

Katharine followed Lily and sat next to her closer to the front of the classroom.

"I like to sit near the front in here. Professor Flitwick is a half human/half goblin man and therefore is pretty small. It helps to pay attention if you can see him," Lily chuckled.

"Ah, I see," Katharine went along with it.

Then James, Remus, Jordan, and Renee all walked in to the classroom at the same time.

Katharine watched James search the room and then his eyes landed on her. He gave her a questioning look and then looked to her left and saw Lily sitting next to her. He gave her a sort of sad pouting look and then followed the other three to a desk on the other side of the room.

"Maybe you should go sit with him..." Lily proffered.

"What? No, I'm allowed to make new friends." Katharine smiled at her, who returned a smile.

Then one of Lily's friends came over and sat next to her and the two of them became very engrossed in whispering. Kat didn't really care that she wasn't a part of it, so she flipped through her charms book that Renee lent her and waited for class to start. Renee said she hardly reads the books anyway.

She couldn't help but notice James' gaze on her the whole time she pretended to read her book. Finally class started and she was able to "reading."

Professor Flitwick looked slightly younger in this time with darker hair. His squeaky little voice was funny to listen to at first, but then shortly after class began, it led her mind to wander...

Katharine glanced over at Lily's parchment and noticed all of the notes she had taken already. She looked down at her own blank page and was slightly ashamed that she hadn't been taking any notes. She picked up her quill, dipped it in her ink cup, and was about to write some notes when sloppy hand writing suddenly appeared on her paper.

_"I'm sad you're not sitting over here with me..." - James_

Astonished, Katharine glanced up across the room and saw James grinning right back at her with his wand slightly pointed towards her. Her eyes widened as she looked back at him. Then he went back to writing on his parchment and Katharine looked back down at hers.

_"It's a spell the four of us made up. You know, so that we could use Remus' notes without him having to rewrite them for us... Heehee."_

Katharine chuckled slightly and then quickly turned it into a cough. She looked around, a little embarrassed, and then replied to James.

_"I must say, I am thoroughly impressed. Not about you cheating, we all expect that of you, but that you guys came up with this spell. How ingenious." - Kat_

_"Well, thanks for the compliment... I think."_

_"No prob."_

_"So, why are you sitting over there with Evans anyway?" - James_

_"Because I ran into her and then we walked to class together." - Kat_

_"Did you talk about me?"_

_"Now why would we talk about you?"_

_"I don't know, maybe because I'm so charming?"_

_"Yeah, right... But yes, we may have talked briefly about you." - Kat_

_"What'd you say?" - James_

_"I told her that she should reconsider not wanting to date you because you're such a great guy and all. You know, blah blah blah."_

_"Why did you say that? You don't mean it do you? You know I only want you, Kat."_

_"Nah, you're just going through a new girl phase."_

_"I am not, Kat, I'm being serious."_

_"What? He's here? Where is he?" _Kat looked up and jokingly looked around the room. She met James' eyes and laughed quietly.

She looked back down and saw, _"Good joke. But honestly, I don't even think about her anymore. I only think about you..."_

_"James, you sure are straight forward. You leave no room for my mind to wonder about you."_

_"I don't want your mind to wonder about me, I want you to know how I feel right up front... Because it's true."_

Katharine paused for a second, not knowing how to reply. This boy was a mess.

Then, as if it was her Savior, the bell rang and Katharine immediately took the opportunity to get out of the classroom as quickly as possible without another glance at James.


	12. Drama, Drama, Drama

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 12**

**Drama, Drama, Drama**

Katharine weaved in and out of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws that were piling out of the Charms classroom. She did not want to get stuck talking to James about their previous conversation through written notes. Although, she didn't know why she was running anyway since she would see him again in her next class... But it seemed logical at the moment.

He was just so up front about his feelings for her that she didn't know how to handle it. All she knew to do was run away and avoid confrontation as much as possible.

So she headed up the stairs to the fourth floor where she stopped to use the lavatory. After that, she went up the rest of the staircases to the seventh floor, where her next class Arithmancy would be in room 7A.

As she walked down the corridor, she met up with Jordan, whom was shouting at her from behind.

"Hey, you! What did you think of your first class?" She asked cheerfully, as always.

"Oh, it was alright. Kinda zoned out after the first few minutes, so I hope you or Renee got the homework assignments..." Kat half lied.

"Yeah, we did. No problem."

They walked into the room together that was set up as a more traditional classroom with dark wooden desks that sat two people to them and all facing the front of the classroom. Definitely a classroom built for boring lectures.

"We're gonna be rebels and sit in the back of class today," Jordan whispered.

Katharine laughed, "Uh, okay then... You're kinda crazy, you know that, Jordan?"

She laughed along, "Yeahp."

Students started piling in as Katharine kept her head down to not be noticed. She looked up periodically though at the ticking clock on the wall above Professor Vector's desk. Five more minutes till class started... Okay, as long as everyone sat around her and left no room for James to sit-

"Hey Jordan, I'm sorry but would you mind if I sit next to Kat today?"

Katharine looked up in horror. Shit! Really? He was going to make her MOVE?

"Jordan, really, you don't have to move. Come on, that's ridicu-"

"Oh no, nooooo!" Jordan threw up her hands in protest while Kat glared at her menacingly, "Really, I don't mind at all! I'll just grab my stuff and go sit over there by Renee and Remus." James was grinning at her mischievously.

"No, Jordan, pleeea-" Katharine reached for her but she was already gone and at the front of the classroom.

"How- You- OHHHHHH! Would you STOP following me?" Katharine was enraged.

He sat down laughing and acted completely innocent, "Kat, I can't be following you when we're in the same class together."

"Yes you can. You just made Jordan get up and move from her seat for no reason! I _don't _want to sit by you."

The look on Katharine's face was priceless. She glared at him with her lips pursed tightly, her eyes wide open, and her eyebrows scrunched together but with one slightly raised up. She looked slightly insane.

James busted out laughing, "You are making this too much fun for me."

"Oh am I? You- you- arrogant- piece of-" Katharine was about to literally rip out her hair.

"Oh - hey!" James grabbed her wrists. "You're freaking out waaaaaaaaay too much, Kat. Breathe. Come on, breathe."

Katharine's face was turning slightly pink as she was unaware that she had been sucking in air and not letting it out. She exhaled with a great poof.

And then she realized that almost everyone in the classroom was watching the two of them... She blushed beet red and sunk extremely low in her chair.

"You seriously have some anger issues, but you have no idea how adorable it is." He chuckled.

She glared up at him, "You seriously have no idea how much you are stressing me out."

"Katharine, I-" But he was cut off by Professor Vector striding into the room.

Once again, Katharine was unable to focus in class due to James. She tried to take notes but her parchment would constantly fill up with James' scribbling to her from his own parchment. He would write things like, _"Come on, you know you want me." _And he would write other things like, _"I don't mean to stress you out, I just want to talk."_

Finally, she wrote him back, _"Fine, we can talk but we do not need to talk about this through notes in CLASS."_

This finally made him stop and they both stared at the teacher, each with their chins resting in their hands. Professor Vector was waving her wand towards the board as it made words appear, while she was speaking about something completely different than what was appearing on the board. Katharine had no clue what was going on and she really hoped that someone could catch her up on the lessons she had missed before, preferably not James, no matter how good he was in the subject.

The bell rang and James and Kat threw their chairs back and were the first ones out of the classroom.

"So, when would you like to talk?" James immediately started as the two of them headed down to their next class, Transfiguration.

"Hey, shouldn't we wait for the others?" Katharine stopped and looked behind her, avoiding his question.

"No, I want to talk to you."

"Well, I don't."

Then James suddenly yanked her by the arm and pulled her down the empty sixth corridor.

"No matter how much you don't _want_ to, you _are _going to_._" They came up to a window and James threw her on the "seat" of the windowsill.

"James, don't do this!" Kat protested.

"Do what?"

"Corner me!"

"I'm not cornering you."

"Oh really?" Kat gestured to his stance towering over her with his hands pressed against the wall. She had no escape... Then her eyes unintentionally moved to his crotch that she suddenly noticed was right in her face. She suppressed a giggle and turned it into a little coughing fit.

"Um, James? Do- would you mind- like- moving?" Another cough/laugh.

It seemed that James finally got the hint, because he glanced down and stepped back quickly. He cleared his throat awkwardly and ran his hand through his thick hair saying, "Right... Sorry." He laughed awkwardly again, "Um, lets just make this quick, okay, so we aren't late for class. I happen to have a good reputation in Transfiguration."

She regained her composure and answered with a smart-ass tone, "A good reputation? Well, THAT'S surprising because you certainly aren't starting off well with me."

"I know, I'm sorry. Kat, I just really, really want you to consider us. I know you like me, Kat. I can see it when you look at me. I can see it even through this pissed off front you're putting up. I can read you like no other person I've ever met. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I feel like nothing else matters if I don't have you."

"How could you possibly feel that way already? You're so naive!"

"I am not! I just know what I want when I see it."

"See? Exactly my point. You only want me because I'm the new girl."

"No, no, no. That's not what I said at all. Don't try to put words into my mouth."

Katharine paused and looked down absentmindedly at James' shoes. She chose her words carefully before she spoke, "James, you don't want me. You don't want a person that can't be fully honest with you. I have possibly already shared too much with you about the future, and I can't let myself do that anymore. If I were to be with you, I would change the future drastically. You just have no idea, and you won't have any idea because I can't tell you... I'm sorry, but we would never work out." A huge knot began to form in the back of her throat, and she swallowed hard, refusing to let the threatening tears fill her eyes.

Why was she upset all of a sudden?

James then bent down and knelt in front of her. His knees crackled from the movement and she had to suppress a watery smirk at the memory of Harry's knees always cracking when he'd bend them. Weird.

James was oblivious. "Listen to me," she looked away, "Please, listen to me." He then lifted her chin up to look at him. "You have no idea how wrong you are. You _know _that there is something different between us. Some kind of gravity pulling us towards each other that we can't ignore. It's fate Katharine, like it or not, but you _are _supposed to change the future. As problematic as that sounds, I believe it's true. And I will not give up on you."

"James... I'm just... So tired of fighting with you... A relationship is not what I need right now. Can't we just stay friends?" She was finding it very difficult to keep eye contact with his perfect hazel eyes...

"We already are friends. But face it, the longer we stay friends, the more attracted we will become towards each other. You will come around. I know you will." He grinned at her.

"Why are you trying so hard with me? I'm not that unique."

"I already told you, I feel different about us. And you have no idea how amazing you are. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you..."

She frowned, "Were you like this with Evans?"

"No. I mean, yeah, I've always been pushy... But, I know you're the one for me."

Katharine's eyes widened. The one for him? She must seriously be dreaming... There's no way someone could fall this hard for someone in such a short amount of time...

"You're psychotic, James. I seriously believe that."

He laughed and grabbed her hand, "I think everybody knows that's true."

He pulled her up and kept a firm grip of her hand as they walked down the corridor. Once again, she couldn't find the strength, or maybe it was courage, to pull her hand from his.

They descended the next set of stairs all the way to the ground floor, still hand in hand.

"This isn't going to be our last conversation about this, is it?" Katharine asked after their long silence, knowing the answer before she spoke.

James chuckled, "That depends on how you cooperate."

He finally let go of her hand as he grabbed the door for her and let her enter. Class had already begun and all eyes were on them as they entered the room.

"Well, Mr. Potter and Miss Parker, how nice of you to join us _tardy_." McGonagall enunciated the last word. "Shall I wait for you both to find your seats or may I proceed?"

Yikes. Apparently she hated it when students showed up late.

"Sorry, ma'am. You may proceed." James said as he clearly tried to suppress a chuckle when his voice cracked.

They took the second to last desk for two in the back of the room. McGonagall proceeded with her lecture, her words immediately going through one ear and out the other for Kat.

"Why do they make us have classes so far apart? We would have nearly been late anyway even _if_ we hadn't stopped..." Katharine whispered quietly to James.

"I really don't know... Maybe because they envy us for being young and fit unlike their wrinkled old bodies?" He chuckled quietly.

"That's just mean," she whispered back. He shrugged nonchalantly.

An oriental girl whipped her head around to glare at the two, and they shared a quick grin at one another before looking back at the board.

* * *

"I'll meet you at lunch, kay?" James said as he turned left and headed down the corridor after they were the first ones out of Transfiguration again.

"Where are you going?" She called after him. He merely just waved behind himself and proceeded down the corridor.

"Hey, everything okay?" Jordan asked as Katharine was still standing half-way in the doorway while the rest of the students squeezed behind her out of the classroom.

"Oh, yeah sorry. That boy is seriously driving me crazy..." She then noticed Remus and Sirius practically running down the corridor James had just disappeared from... She stared after them as she followed Jordan, Renee, and Laura amongst the crowd to the Great Hall.

"Yes, James Potter has done that to almost every girl he's met, I'm sure..." Laura said.

"Oh, the drama, drama, drama." Renee chuckled. Katharine frowned at her.

The four girls sat together this time and had already begun eating in the Great Hall when the Marauders finally entered the room. Katharine eyed them suspiciously as they leisurely walked over to the girls and stood behind them. They didn't walk to the empty seats on the other side that the girls had left for them. Their facial expressions clearly showed they were up to something as they hovered over the them, looking down mischievously.

"Hello ladies, I hope you all have had enough to eat." Sirius grinned.

"What does that mean?" Laura questioned through gritted teeth from behind Katharine.

"Now!" Peter suddenly shouted.

The four boys pointed their wands towards the food on the tables and each shouted, _"Insectum lacio!"_

Immediately all of the food in the Great Hall had all sorts of big, nasty insects scattering everywhere. And seconds afterwards, the entire room went chaotic.

Everyone in the Great Hall screamed and shrieked at the top of their lungs as bugs poured out of the bowls, plates, and goblets and landed in their laps. Katharine and several other people leaped backwards and fell onto the stone floor. People were running around and screaming like crazy, trampling over anyone that was in their way.

Somebody kicked Katharine's side as they tripped over her. She groaned as she rolled over and nearly had a heart attack at the site of a huge cockroach heading straight towards her face. She screamed and bounced right up onto her feet. She stomped and stomped her feet on as many bugs as she could, looking around the room at all of the other students and some teachers scrambling around like insects themselves, mostly everybody heading straight for the open doors into the Entrance Hall.

She spun on her heel and finally saw the culprits. She practically leaped over a poor tiny first year student and grabbed James by the collar of his robes as he was making a run for it. Apparently she wasn't the only one who had thought of grabbing the pranksters because she saw that Renee had a hold of Sirius and was wrestling with him while Jordan and Laura had each grabbed Remus and Peter, who weren't really giving much of a fight. Then-

"SIIIIIILLLLEEEENNNCE!" Came Dumbledore's booming voice over all of the screaming and hollering in the room. Everyone in the Great Hall froze automatically. It kinda reminded Katharine of the night on Halloween when the troll was let out her first year...

Dumbledore then waved his wand and all of the bugs, including the food and dishes, completely disappeared. The tables were wiped clean.

"Who is responsible for this?" He shouted.

Katharine elbowed James hard in the ribs and he raised his arm high up for everyone to see. James made no attempt to hide the smirk on his face.

"Ah yes, of course, the infamous Marauders." Katharine could have sworn she saw Dumbledore chuckle lightly. "Very well. I'm very sorry to cut your lunch short, but you all will find that some snacks and such will be in your Houses as you head back to them. The poor house elves would not be able to make a whole new lunch in time before your next lessons. Have a nice, insect free afternoon!" Then Dumbledore strode over to the Marauders and the girls with McGonagall close on his heels.

"I have NEVER in ALL of my teaching career seen such misbehavior from SEVENTH years! Much less from MY House!" McGonagall seemed hysterical.

"Now, now Minerva. You must admit that these young men are quite creative... Disruptive... But creative." Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Sir, these boys must be punished accordingly. Twenty points from Gryffindor, each. And detention for the next three days." McGonagall huffed and held her head high as she strode from the Great Hall.

Dumbledore leaned in closer to Katharine and James, whom were in front of the group, and spoke in a low voice, "I must say I do not disagree with Minerva about taking disciplinary actions, even though her punishment could have been far worse. However, that was definitely one of the most amusing stunts I have seen from you boys yet." He stood straight up and gave one more twinkling smile, and followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall.

Now the eight of them were the last ones in the entire room.

Katharine turned around, "You boys are insane. Absolutely insane."

"Yes, but you must admit that was pretty awesome." Remus said.

"Yes, I must admit that was an awesome prank."

"Maybe you can join in next time," James wrapped his arm around Katharine as they all walked out of the Great Hall.

"Uh, no thanks. I enjoy not being in detention."

"But you could be with me the rest of the evening. We'd never be apart until I leave for my dorm." James said excitedly.

"Oh, will you _please_ stop saying things like that out loud?" Katharine asked, barely audible for anyone else to hear.

James leaned in closer to her ear and whispered, "No."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuugh!" Katharine threw her hands up in the air. She shrugged James off of her and stomped her way ahead of the others.

"This one's sure got an attitude, my goodness," Sirius said to James.

"Well, she wouldn't have one if Potter didn't piss her off all of the time." Laura said.

"I don't do it on purpose... Not all of the time at least..." James smirked.

"You just better watch how pushy you are, Prongs, or you may never get a chance at her." Remus said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" James defended. Katharine was now out of site.

"I'm just saying that she's not into you asking her out everyday or telling her how much you like her. Just like you did with Evans." Remus said. "Plus... You know Kat has bigger issues to worry about and that's probably the main reason she keeps blowing you off..." Remus added more quietly so Renee, Laura, and Jordan wouldn't hear.

"Yeah... I know." James reluctantly agreed.

* * *

Potions with Professor Slughorn was interesting. He was another teacher that was very difficult to listen to. His voice was boring and he didn't explain things very well.

Katharine had somehow managed to sit away from James so that she could sit next to Lily. Her plan worked out rather perfectly. He came in and sat next to her, of course. So she waited until it was the last minute before class would begin and then she quickly ran over to Lily. She wanted to sit next to her in this class because she had always heard from Slughorn in _her _time that she was excellent in his potions class. What else could she say? She needed a good study buddy if she was to stay here for a while.

His lecture was finally over and now it was time to make a potion called the Draught of Living Dead. It was supposed to make someone fall into a deep sleep. The name sounded very similar to Katharine as she opened her _Advanced Potion-Making _book to page ten.

"I'll go grab the ingredients." Kat told Lily. She waited in line with the rest of the students and then finally grabbed asphodel that was in an infusion of wormwood, some valerian roots, and a few sopophorous beans.

When she returned to their desk, Lily was already preparing the basis of the potion.

"Okay, so it says we first need to cut the beans with this silver dagger right here," Lily began, "in order to get the juices out."

"Hey, wait a minute," Katharine said before Lily started cutting a bean, "I just remembered I've done this potion before. You're not supposed to do that with the beans."

"How have you done this potion before? It's not taught until seventh year," Lily questioned.

Oops. Guess they were a little more advanced in Katharine's time.

"I, uh, I did it my sixth year. I guess we were a little farther ahead than here..." She replied, which wasn't a lie at all actually. Slughorn taught them in her sixth year, and she remembered something about the beans from Harry's book that had been from the Half Blood Prince, i.e. Snape.

At the thought of him, she subconsciously looked around the room for him. She found him quickly as he was sitting almost right behind them. Suddenly, as if he felt her gaze, he snapped his head up and they made eye contact, his eyes big and black against her probably dumbstruck brown ones. She quickly looked back to Lily.

"Anyway, I remember the book is wrong. We're supposed to crush them with the flat side of the dagger and then slide all of the juices into the pot."

"If everyone is supposed to do that, why hasn't Slughorn told us then?" Lily asked, her eyes skeptical.

"I don't know. You can try cutting them if you want, but trust me, crushing will work better."

"Okay then..." Lily trailed off. She started as Kat had told her, cutting the beans first. Obviously, she was very stubborn. She attempted cutting them several times and each time, the bean would slip out and bounce around the cutting board. Kat noticed that everyone was having this problem around the room, except for Snape, whom was already on to his next ingredient. Figures.

Kat started to chuckle as Lily was getting frustrated. "Okay, okay! I will try crushing them now!"

Lily placed the bean under the flat side and her palm on top of the other flat side and pressed. The bean made a little snapping noise and it's juices started pouring out. She looked up at Kat a little wide eyed and then back down and wiped all of the juices into the potion.

"Hmm..." Was all she would say.

"Okay, so now we add the rest of the beans and the other ingredients..." Kat said.

Lily began crushing the other beans while Kat started cutting the roots into thin slices and added them and the asphodel into the mixture.

"Okay, now it says we need to stir it counter-clockwise until it starts releasing blue steam," Lily said as she read off the directions, "and at the ideal halfway stage it should be a deep purple colour. If it is stirred properly, the potion will turn to a light shade of lilac and then eventually clear as water."

"Alrighty, I'll stir it then." Kat reached for the stirrer and was about to stir it when an icy cold voice spoke from behind the two girls.

"If you already knew that you should crush the beans and not cut them, then you should know that the book is wrong about the stirring as well." Lily and Kat whipped their heads around to see Snape had been the one speaking as he was staring right back at them.

"How are we supposed to stir then?" Kat asked trying not to speak to him wrongly. After all, he hadn't done anything to her in this time... Yet.

"Save it, Snape, we don't need your help." Lily snarled.

"Fine then. If you don't want to be at the top of the class, Evans, so be it." He looked back down at his battered book that Kat immediately noticed had scribbling all over the pages, just like it had in her time.

"Severus..." Kat spoke sincerely, "Um, I know you are very talented in potions and it sounds like this isn't your first time preparing this potion... Could you please tell _me _how to stir it?" He looked up confusedly, probably by the way her tone had suddenly changed. She half smiled at him.

"Stir it clockwise once for every seventh counter-clockwise stir," and with that, he went back to stirring his own potion.

"Thank you." Kat said, but he never looked back up.

She turned back to Lily and smirked at her. She glared back.

"Look, I know you two used to be friends and now aren't on good terms, but that doesn't mean we can't take some advice from him. Why get a bad grade on our practical just because we can't put some feelings aside?" Kat whispered to her.

"Because he called me a Mudblood and is very interested in the Dark Arts!" Lily hissed.

Katharine didn't reply, ending the conversation right then. Lily had just stirred the potion clockwise once and then began stirring it counter-clockwise seven more times. Light blue steam started to barely erupt from it.

"So... Apparently you and Potter had quite some argument in Arithmancy today..." Lily began.

"Oh, no. Please don't bring that up," Katharine groaned.

Lily chuckled, "Yeah, it's probably all over the school by now."

"That's a lot of people to tell in just a few hours..." Kat said.

"Oh believe me, nothing is kept secret for very long here at Hogwarts."

"Lovely... You're the second person that has told me that already." It started to make Katharine wonder how long she could keep her time traveling a secret.

"So, um... May I ask you what the argument was about?" Lily tentatively asked.

Kat attempted to sound casual, "Oh just about him constantly asking me out. He's driving me nuts."

She laughed, "Yeah, don't forget that I told you that you could come to me when you need rescuing. I knew they would eventually get on your nerves."

"Well, I really enjoy hanging out with them, I just wish James would be fine with us just being friends..." Kat had to try to remember that she was talking to Harry's future mother and shouldn't say too much that would make Lily stop liking James, if there was any twinkling bit of her liking him right now. She added, "I still think you and James are meant to be together."

"Katharine, if you keep saying stuff like that, I'm not going to be friends with you anymore," Lily smirked at her but her tone was serious.

Kat grinned widely, "You mean, were friends now?"

"Of course we're friends! I mean, if you're going to keep hanging out around the Marauders, you're going to need me to give you some psychiatric treatment once in a while."

The two laughed as they watched their potion. Suddenly, it changed from lilac to completely clear. The girls high-fived each other and flagged down Professor Slughorn after he finished looking at Snape's potion.

"Ah, perfectly done ladies!" Slughorn exclaimed. "Miss Evans, you have yet to disappoint me, and Miss Parker, I'm looking forward to seeing much more from you in my class. Have a good evening!" He waved as he proceeded down the aisle to some other students that were finished, but Kat could already tell that the steam coming out of it was not the correct colour.

The two girls walked out of the Dungeons together and up to their common rooms to drop off their books before supper. They chatted the entire way. Kat was thoroughly enjoying Lily's company and was glad that she was getting to know both of Harry's parents, no matter how much of an arse James was.

When they dropped off Kat's books at Gryffindor Tower, they walked back to the Great Hall with Renee, Jordan, and Laura. Katharine made sure to sit between two people, which ended up being Lily and Laura. As they started piling their plates and discussing their homework assignments, the Marauders came bustling in and flopped down onto the bench next to the girls.

"Good evening, ladies! This grub looks absolutely delicious tonight!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yes it does, so don't ruin it again," Renee snapped.

"Oh come on, you know it's all fun and games, love," he grinned.

"I'm sure it is because, after all, how could anyone not enjoy being in detention all of the time?" Laura exacerbated.

"We don't do it for the detention, we do it for the _attention_," James said from across the table next to Sirius. Remus and Peter sat on the other side of Laura.

"Clearly," she rolled her eyes.

"Plus, it's just plain fun!" Peter squeaked.

"As long as you guys stop hexing people for fun and just do the pranks..." Lily trailed off.

"We weren't asking for your opinion, Evans," James hollered across the table.

"Shut up, Potter!" Lily's emerald eyes flamed.

James' nostrils flared, "You shut up! No one asked you to sit here anyway!"

"Uh, yeah, _I_ did." Katharine interjected.

"Whatever, doesn't mean she's wanted by _all_ of us." He pouted.

"No one cares what you want, Potter!" Lilly screeched.

"Oh, will you both just SHUT UP?" Remus slammed his fists on the table.

Katharine stifled a snort as the two wide-eyed dumbies went back to eating their food in silence.

The rest of supper consisted of everyone talking except for Lily and James. They were acting so immature, that Katharine didn't even care about trying to include them in the conversation anymore. Shortly after finishing though, the four boys had to rush off to detention while the girls headed off to the Gryffindor common room.

The rest of the night ended well. The girls chatted for a little while in the common room until James came when it was time for Lily and him to make their nightly patrol.

All in all, Katharine felt like her first day of classes went well. It was stressful, but fun. As she finally laid in bed that night, she found unconsciousness come quickly as she had no time travel or damaging the future worries going through her mind. She fell asleep to normal student thoughts. Thoughts that only consisted of having to worry about the drama in homework, friends, and boys.

* * *

**A/N: **That was a VERY dramatic and long chapter. haha And don't worry, I'm not going to write every chapter of their daily school schedules. Just wanted to do one on her first day.


	13. Temptations Arising

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**A/N: So, when I made the scene for when this story takes place, the characters did not know anything about the Horcruxes because the 7th book had not come out yet. I had set them out on their own journey. So, they don't know much about the Horcruxes or anything that Dumbledore had left for the three of them to figure out nor does Katharine know that Dumbledore had planned his own death and what not. Just FYI.**

**Chapter13**

**Temptations Arising**

Katharine walked swiftly down the dark, windowless corridors. She had received an urgent letter from Dumbledore insisting that she visit him immediately. He hadn't spoken to her in a while, so she had no clue what it was about.

A couple weeks had gone by now. Kat was finally getting comfortable with her routine here and was becoming a little more comfortable with her friends. They seemed to have formed their own group now consisting of the Marauders and her roommates, and sometimes Lily. Apparently her roommates hadn't hung out with the Marauders until Renee and Sirius had become, well, _serious_.

Apparently James had told the other Marauders at some point that Katharine had known about Remus being a Werewolf and that they were Animagi, because Remus had approached her one day and hounded her about "how the hell she knew them so well." But she wouldn't tell him anymore than he already knew.

As more days passed, she was becoming overwhelmed with her NEWT's load; trying to fit in Quidditch practice after she made the team thanks to her private lessons with James and Sirius (she had made sure that she wouldn't be alone with James); her secrets and lies about being from the future piling up; and her James Potter situation. She tried to focus on her NEWT studies most, even though there was the small possibility that she may not have to take them in this time. She still wanted to seem like a normal student, no matter how many classes she was taking that she most likely would not have chosen in her time if it had been up to her.

As for the James situation, he had backed off slightly, but only slightly. He still told her often how much he was fond of her, but he wasn't trying to push them together. He didn't put her in awkward situations or made her uncomfortable anymore. He was just being her friend. Possibly becoming her best friend, she thought. Sure, she was close to the other Marauders as well, but she definitely didn't have the same deep conversations with the others like she did with James. Sometimes she would talk to Remus, but not nearly as much.

Being in this James Potter situation, she was in a constant battle of her true feelings for him. Were her feelings because he reminded her of Harry? Or was it really because he was deep down very different than Harry and she and him were more compatible? She was so confused...

She approached the gargoyle in no time and gave the password and raced up the stairs. Dumbledore's door was already slightly open, so she lightly knocked on it as she pushed it wide open.

"Hello?" She called tentatively.

Dumbledore spoke from the back of his office, "Ah, Katharine. Please, come join me."

Katharine obeyed, noticing that he had called her by her first name. She had never really been to the back of his office, behind his desk and behind the twin stairs. She ducked under some intricate items dangling in midair as she approached him.

He was standing next to a tall bookshelf, with his face pressed into a book. Katharine leaned against the bookshelf, not quite sure of what she was supposed to do.

"I have been refreshing my memory on Horcuxes, and I feel very foolish that I have not asked you sooner for more help. I tend to try to do things on my own, but I realize this is something I cannot accomplish without you," he spoke to her with his attention still submerged in the book.

"I'm sorry, I probably should have known that I should be helping you more... I've just been very distracted about all of this and trying to keep my secret and-"

"Dear, dear, come now. Sit and we may talk about this." He finally looked up from his book and gestured her to two arm chairs that she had not noticed were placed there.

"Now," he began, "tell me, what's troubling you?" His warm smile invited Katharine in and she couldn't stop what came gushing out of her mouth.

"Being here is just so hard, I don't know what to do anymore. I already knew so many people here and I'm having to be extremely careful with _everything _that I say around them. And sometimes I feel like I've said too much and there's this one person that I just can't help myself around and... I'm sorry, but I told the Marauders that I'm from the future and now I'm so wishing that I hadn't because they keep badgering me about it and how much I know about them. I'm really missing my friends at home... And I don't understand why you haven't spoken to me in so long about how I can get back home? And I've been meaning to tell you that it seems like I'm losing bits and pieces of my time, like I can't remember certain things. I feel like it's slipping away... And - and - and-" and then she couldn't hold the tears in any longer.

"My dear Katharine, I can't imagine what you are going through right now. And I am truly sorry for my absence. I have been very caught up in my search for the Horcruxes... But you must remain strong. I believe you were chosen to do this because you are, after all, a descent of mine and I believe you will fulfill your purpose as to why you are here."

"W-what am I supposed to do here?" Katharine hiccuped.

"The Horcruxes, my dear girl, the Horcruxes!" Dumbledore's expression seemed to radiate with excitement. "Time is a thoroughly confusing idea... If my hunch is correct, and for lack of better words, I believe that you are here because this is how it is meant to be. This is how time is supposed to move on. We shouldn't question it! If this is correct, then I know we shall succeed and finish the Dark Lord. When you and I, _together_, destroy all of the Horcruxes, Lord Voldemort shall never inflict the damage and turmoil he has done in your time."

"How will I get back to my own time though once we fix this?" She asked, not really caring about everything he just explained.

"That," he said, "is a good question."

"You still don't know?" She began to tear up again. "What - what if I don't have a home to go to anymore? What if I change the future so drastically that I won't exist in the future?"

"I think... That is very plausible...That could explain why your memory is fading." He said thoughtfully.

"Plausible? _Plausible? _That's all you can say? I think we need to focus a little more on how I will be getting back to my _home. _I think I gave you enough information for you to destroy the Horcruxes on your own. I think it's time for me to go home."

"Listen to me, Katharine," he spoke sternly, "almost all of the time, my guesses are correct... So, you _are _supposed to be here. You _are _supposed to destroy these Horcruxes with me, you have no choice. I am not meant to do it alone. We will do it together. And in the meantime, I will still find a way for you to get home, if there is a way..." He sighed and added, "Have some faith in me."

"I don't know how to destroy them - or well, I actually do know how to destroy one because Harry did so in our second year- but other than that, I have no earthly clue." She found herself slightly annoyed that he was acting like he knew everything and not taking her thoughts into consideration.

"How did Harry destroy the Horcrux, you say?"

"He stabbed it with a basilisk fang. Now, I know you said in my time that it was something about the basilisk venom that was able to destroy the Horcrux, but where will we get a basilisk fang?"

"How did _Harry_ get a hold of a basilisk fang?" Dumbledore lifted an eyebrow.

"He got it in the Chamber of Secrets." Katharine answered nonchalantly.

"The Chamber of Secrets? It was opened again?" Shock was written all over his face.

"Oh, sorry, yes. The bit of soul that was in the diary, which was the Horcrux, was able to manipulate someone to open the Chamber of Secrets again and so Voldemort attempted to bring himself back through that person but was unsuccessful because of Harry..."

"I see... Katharine," he said, his tone serious again, "I need you to share with me _everything _you know about these Horcruxes. Which ones you know of, where they are or might be, and how they have been destroyed."

"Okay..." Kat said, "I will try."

* * *

Now that Katharine's brain felt like jello after trying to remember every detail she could about the Horcruxes, she set off back to the Common Room. She told Dumbledore everything about the Horcruxes: the diary, the ring, and the locket and where to find them. She knew that there should be at least two more out there, but did not know what they were. All she could tell him was that the locket was at that cave in the middle of nowhere and that the ring was located at the Gaunt Shack. She did urge him to NOT put the ring on because he had put the ring on in her time and it had turned his hand black. She also did not know where the diary was for sure, only that she knew that it had been in Lucius Malfoy's possession in her time.

Then, she heard the distinct sound of a shoe tapping in the corridor and she stopped in her tracks.

She whipped out her wand instinctively and thought, _"Lumos," _and the tip of her wand ignited.

No one was in site. The tapping was still going on, almost as if it was mocking her. She moved on slowly, checking the corridor as she tiptoed and staying near the wall. All she could see, though, were shadows and some occasional light from the torches on the wall.

The tapping grew louder as she stepped forward, then suddenly she bumped into something. But nothing was there. She groped in front of her and felt something smooth and silky and cool to the touch. Next thing she knew, something was draped around her and before she could scream, a hand was cupped around her mouth. Her wand tip went out and she was standing in the shadows under some type of curtain.

She struggled under the man's grip and with her heart racing, she inhaled through her nose and then knew instantly whom that smell belonged to before he even spoke.

"Shhhh... It's just me, Kat. Sorry, I just didn't want you to scream," James said softly as he removed his hand. Katharine couldn't see anything, but she relaxed at the sound of his voice.

"You really need to stop scaring me, James," she said breathlessly. "There are better ways to announce your presence."

He chuckled quietly, "I know, I'm sorry. It's just that I finally found you and you were walking alone and then I heard that tapping and-"

"Wait, that tapping wasn't you?"

"No."

They were silent for a moment. James kept a grip on her shoulder as both were scanning the corridor. Kat realized once looking around that they were under the Invisibility Cloak. "Of course," she whispered without thinking.

"Of course what?" James whispered back.

"We're under your Invisibility Cloak."

"You say that as if you knew I had one," he sounded amused, yet annoyed as well.

"Maybe..."

They went silent again... Katharine could not shake off the feeling that they were not alone.

"Someone is here with us," she said.

"I know."

They were silent again, listening intently. The tapping had stopped, no doubt it was because Katharine had disappeared from sight.

"Come on," James suddenly whispered and he took her hand and quietly pulled her down the corridor that she had just come from.

"Where are we going?" she whispered as he obviously wasn't leading her back to the Common Room, but was leading her down the flight of stairs.

"I want you to come somewhere with me," he replied.

He led her all the way down to the Ground Floor, taking some short cuts along the way that Katharine had never been on.

They were now outside in the courtyard.

"James," Katharine said more sternly, "where are we _going_?"

"Look up," he said simply.

She did as she was told and took a sharp gasp. She hadn't noticed the bright blue haze that the full moon had set upon the courtyard. _Full moon? _She mentally shrieked.

"You're not - James - we're not -" Katharine stuttered as she came to a halt, making him stop too.

"Yes, I wanted you to see this," he grinned at her from under the cloak.

"Are you MAD?" She shrieked.

He chuckled, "No."

Her mouth hung open.

James realized her stunned expression and explained quickly, "We're not going into the Shack, don't freak out. Once we are able to calm Moony after he changes, the four of us usually crawl out of the Shack and run around the grounds in our Animagus form - well, Moony the only one being a Werewolf. It's good to get him out, you see..."

Katharine stared at him with her mouth slowly closing.

"I thought you might enjoy watching, and then you can return to the Common Room under my cloak if you'd like," James sheepishly smiled at her.

"You know you could have just asked me if I wanted to do this before dragging me out here," she finally said. His face fell slightly. "But sure, I would gladly like to watch four animals jump around like idiots." She added and his face lit up again.

"Good." They resumed walking. "'Cause I think you will thoroughly enjoy this."

"You're such a guy," Katharine giggled.

He led her halfway down the hill to a flat rock that was nestled into the middle of the hill, giving her a perfect view of the Whomping Willow - the entrance to the Shrieking Shack.

James looked down at his watch, "They should be coming out any minute. I know it took them a little longer to settle him down because I wasn't there to help," he set his gaze down upon her in the moonlight, "I just couldn't find you after patrol to ask you if you wanted to come so I had to tell them to go without me so I could look for you... Well, I told Remus and Sirius to go because I couldn't find Peter either... Which is kinda strange, actually..."

"Sorry... I had to see Dumbledore." She replied breathlessly, not quite registering the small Peter-part.

The closeness between them under the cloak was getting to her now. His scent was intoxicating and in the still of the night, she could clearly hear every breath he breathed. They were still holding hands and every time she would realize this again, it would set butterflies loose in her stomach.

At the mention of Dumbledore, it seemed to change James' trail of thought, "What did Dumbledore say?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"Um... I just had to share some more things with him."

"Any news about your time travel?"

"No." Katharine answered solemnly.

James took no notice to her tone, "Good," he said happily.

Suddenly, a howl sounded in the distance and made Katharine jump.

"Don't worry, that sounded like a cheerful howl," James said nonchalantly.

"Cheerful?"

"Yup."

Then he moved under the cloak and stood in front of her, his face inches from hers, making her heart beat rapidly again. She prayed that he wasn't able to notice her sudden changes around him tonight.

"Well, I am gonna go now... Stay under the cloak, he shouldn't be able to smell you from here. I'll stay between either way... We are usually out all night, so whenever you get tired, you can head back to the castle..." He paused then added with a beautiful smile, "Enjoy." And he kissed her on her scalding cheek and slipped out from under the cloak.

She lightly touched her cheek and watched him walk down the rest of the hill and stand at the bottom for a moment. He looked back up at her and smiled cheesily.

Then he broke out into a run towards the Whomping Willow and if Katharine had blinked, she would have missed it.

There, coming to a halt in the middle of the clearing, was the biggest, most beautiful stag she had ever seen in her life or even in photos - course she might be a little biased. He wasn't anything compared to the silvery stag that was Harry's patronus. He flicked his white tail around, his tall ears dancing back and forth, listening to the distant howling growing closer and closer.

The stag glanced up again at Katharine, whom knew fully well that he could not see her. He stuck his thick tongue out at her anyway, making her giggle. Finally, he trotted over to the tree, danced around it's flailing branches with ease, and pressed the knot at the base of the trunk. The tree froze, and just in time before two animals emerged from the hole.

First crawled out the shaggy black dog, whom jumped around playfully with the stag for a moment. It was no where near the same size as the stag.

Then out came the werewolf. Katharine held her breath as it crawled out. Even though he appeared to be tame, it still did not take away how frightening he looked. He was definitely smaller than he had been when she met him in her third year and he also didn't look as mangled, if that made any sense. He just seemed... Well, younger.

The stag then moved over to the other side of the werewolf, now between him and the hillside. The stag looked the werewolf up and down and made strange snorting noises at him. It seemed as if he was judging him. Then, as if the stag approved, he leaped around gracefully and began playing with the werewolf. They wrestled with each other, which was interesting to watch.

Katharine slowly and quietly lowered herself down and sat cross-legged on the rock. As soon as she sat down, she heard a loud screech from behind her and she started immediately, but then quickly realized what it was.

I large, nasty looking rat was racing down the hillside, only feet from where Katharine sat. How had she not noticed that Peter hadn't been down there with the three of them?

It appeared that the others hadn't even noticed that he wasn't there either, because they all looked up in surprise to the squeaking rat scurrying down the hillside.

The stag, or James, stepped forward quickly, one ear turned behind him as if listening to the werewolf, and one facing forward to the rat. Katharine may not have been able to understand the noisy exchange between the stag and the rat, but she knew that they must be arguing about why he was late.

The stag started to pound the ground with his hoof the same way an angry horse digs. He snorted and his nostrils flared, almost as if he was pissed off. The rat softly squeaked and cowered under the stag's Alpha demands.

Then the black dog stepped forward between the two and barked at the stag. Katharine could have sworn she saw him flick his head slightly in her direction, and the stag immediately backed away towards the werewolf. As if the tense exchange never happened, the stag began to tease the werewolf and the dog and rat soon joined in.

Katharine exhaled forcefully, not realizing that she had held her breath the entire time the animals had been fighting. She slowly rested her chin in her hands and watched the four animals play for a long time. It was incredible to watch. They all were such different animals, none of them alike in any way. Yet, they all got along perfectly well, just like they usually did when they were humans.

It must feel amazing to run away in another form... To be able to be free and do whatever you wish. Katharine longed to have that escape right now... To be able to run away with James and give in to her selfish wants. To not have to worry about the future. To not have to choose between somber Harry or cheerful James. She was beginning to wonder just how much she truly loved Harry now... Did she love him enough to choose him over James? Or to completely change the future just because she wants to be happy? It's crazy to think the responsibility that she had in one decision... She could change so many lives just by being with one person. Why must everything revolve around being in a relationship?

Kat had no idea how long she had sat there, but when her eye lids started to droop, she figured it was time to go.

The four animals, apparently becoming bored of wrestling each other, decided to leave the clearing and head for the Forbidden Forest. So, Katharine took that as her final cue to head back to the castle.

She thought long and hard the whole walk back to her dormitory. She was just not strong enough. She knew she could not control her emotions any longer and she needed something to make her mind up for her... She was weak and knew that she would soon give in to her temptations if this went on any longer.


	14. She'll Come Around

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**A/N: **This chapter starts off with James' point of view. I kinda liked writing from his POV so I very well might write some more chapters like this... Hope you like it.

**Chapter 14**

**She'll Come Around**

James reclined back in a big armchair in the Gryffindor Common Room.

What a night. He was thoroughly exhausted and was in no way going to fit a kip in today. It was already six a.m. and he would have to head down to breakfast soon and endure another long day of lessons.

He didn't mind being tired though. He enjoyed helping one of his best friends as he himself must endure something the rest of them couldn't imagine going through.

Sirius and Peter went to their dormitories earlier to fit in an hour kip before class, whereas Remus never attended classes after the full moon. It usually took too much energy out of him to be of any use, so he normally would sleep the entire day... James, however, was never able to sleep. He didn't take naps very well and would just be more tired afterwards. So he pulled an "all-nighter" and would just deal with the sleep deprivation. Maybe he'd have a cup of coffee at breakfast.

After a while, the early birds were up and were already going to breakfast. James remained in his chair, staring at the at the fire and thinking about Kat...

He wondered if she ever noticed that his heart would skip a beat every time he laid his eyes upon her.

He had mellowed out on the whole asking-her-out-everyday rhythm, but that still did not mean that he didn't think about it... Or think about being with her everyday. He wanted her to be a part of everything he did, that's why he wanted her there last night. Just knowing that she was up there watching them gave him a sense of peace.

He did wonder, though, how long she would keep up the denial barrier. He wasn't blind, he knew her heart would race every time she saw him. He noticed she would blush every time he grabbed her hand or complimented her.

So, he would have to keep waiting. After all, he had only been waiting for a couple weeks now... What would a few more do to him?

Drive him insane, no doubt.

He let out a heavy sigh... It sure was hard to wait... But, she was worth it.

Then, he looked over his shoulder as he heard more people descending the stairs. Down came Renee, Laura, and Jordan from the girls' dormitory. His heart sank a little once he saw that she wasn't with them. Oh well, he would wait for her, like always. James returned a sloppy smile and waved back at them as the three climbed out of the portrait hole.

A few more minutes went by as more people left the Tower. He sighed again and leaned his head back, beginning to think she might just ditch today... Which actually didn't sound like such a bad idea at the moment...

"Good morning, Prongs."

James hollered at the silky voice in his ear, leaping out of his chair involuntarily. He had not heard her tip toe behind him and sure enough, she had finally gotten him back for all the times he had scared her.

But he didn't care. There she was, standing in front of him looking adorable all sleepy eyed and grinning.

"Ha, ha. You finally got me," he mocked.

She giggled, "Yes, I finally did. Why are you sitting down here by yourself?" She cocked her head to the side questioningly.

James wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Waiting for you, of course. Did you enjoy last night?"

"Yes, I did. It was very..." She paused and James watched her as they walked down the corridor to breakfast. "Neat to experience that." She then reached into her robes and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak.

"Glad you liked it. And thanks." He said, stuffing the Cloak in his own pocket.

"James..." He could not hide the fact that he loved it whenever she'd say his name, and he stopped with her as she stared up at him with those big, sleepy brownies. "Will you teach me how to become an Animagus?"

A little stunned, he paused before he answered, "I uh... It's not something I think I can teach... I mean, yes I know we all taught each other... But it was different when we were learning together..."

"I think you can teach me just fine. I'm a very quick learner, I know how to produce a Patronus already. I mean... I _am_ Dumbledore's granddaughter after all."

"You're _what_?" James did not hear her right.

She chuckled, "Yeah, surprise!" She exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air, "I am his granddaughter and supposed to be like this big time awesome witch. Whatever, I'm nothing like that but hey, I can challenge myself just a little, right?"

"How are you his granddaughter?" He was still stuck on the subject.

"My grandmother had an affair with him, blah blah and then he told her he was a wizard and she left him... Kinda strange and it was very awkward when he told me. My mom is probably in her late twenties around now. She should have me in about three years... How strange..." She trailed off.

"Hey," he clapped a hand on her shoulder again, "sure, I can try to teach you how to be an Animagus. But you must know, it took us three years to learn it and it's supposed to take at least five. But I'm okay with the idea of you being here longer," he grinned widely, making his glasses bump upward. "It is a little different than learning a Patronus, though," he added.

"I know..." Kat said as they resumed walking. "And I'm not so sure what's going to happen anymore, James. Dumbledore hasn't found any way of getting me back, I almost think he doesn't want me to go back. He wants me here to keep helping him find the Horcruxes."

"The what?" James asked. Then her eyes went huge as if she realized she wasn't supposed to tell him.

"Oh, never mind. Sorry, you weren't supposed to know that."

"How come? You can tell me anything, Kat, you know you can."

She smiled at him, "I know."

After breakfast, they went to their lessons. James wasn't in any of Katharine's classes that day except for Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch. This absolutely tortured him.

Sirius was in each of his classes today, so at least he had his best friend with him all day. It wasn't easy to hide his gloominess though. Sirius saw right through him, as always.

"Man, what's wrong with you? You've hardly said anything all morning except for breakfast," Sirius questioned as they headed to their next class.

"You know what's wrong, Padfoot. Don't make me say it," he groaned.

"Is it Kat?"

James frowned.

"Wow, you've got it bad," Sirius shook his head.

"I've got what bad?"

"You weren't even like this with Evans, mate! You literally can't stop thinking about her, can you?"

"No, I can't! I told you, I swear she's here for a reason! I've never cared so much about a relationship before in my life."

Sirius half sighed, half laughed at him. "Look man, I never thought I'd say this to you, but just focus on your NEWT's for now okay? Your time will come. This girl is a little overwhelmed right now, I mean come on," he lowered his voice but still spoke firmly, "she's from the _future_. She has a lot on her plate right now. So just chill."

"I know..." James sighed. "You wanna know what she asked me today?" Sirius shrugged his shoulders and James continued, "She asked me to teach her how to be an Animagus. I guess we inspired her," he laughed.

"I guess that's a good sign, mate. Quidditch practices, Animagus lessons - sounds like she keeps trying to be alone with you." Sirius punched him jokingly in the arm.

"I know right? See why I'm a mess? My heart is dangling on a string and she's teasing it like a cat with a mouse toy."

"Well, you shouldn't have put it on a string in the first place," Sirius said as they took their seats in Ancient Ruins next to Peter.

"Not helping, Sirius," James groaned.

* * *

Finally, James was reunited with Katharine and Defense Against the Dark Arts went by much faster than usual. It was his favorite class, but he enjoyed it far more when he was partnered with her. They were to practice an Anti-Disapparition Jinx that can prevent one from Disapparating or Apparating into an area for a period of time, such as preventing someone from entering an area or trapping someone in an area.

She was decent at it, but James was better. He had to admit to himself that he was definitely showing off for her. He couldn't help it; it was in his nature to act out.

The rest of the day the five of them studied together in the library for their NEWT's. Remus joined them at supper and went to the library with them. Three of the Marauders were against it, but Kat and Remus together had convinced them that it was best to get a head start.

Course James hadn't been able to focus much when Remus was drilling him with some practice quiz he had made up himself... Seriously, the guy studied WAY too much.

Anyway, James couldn't take his eyes off of Kat as her dark reddish hair was draped down her face and around the book she was reading...

Suddenly he took a blow to the head from his right, "JAMES! Mate! Snap out of it!"

James recoiled for a second and saw that it was Sirius who had slapped the bloody mess out of him.

"Dude, what the hell?"

"Get a hold of yourself and focus," Remus snapped at him from his left.

Peter was snickering next to Katharine. She was now looking at him, completely oblivious to his previous staring.

James blushed, "Sorry..."

After hours of studying, the other Marauders eventually understood the cues James had given them and they gave their lame excuses to leave. Finally, he and Katharine were pretty much the only ones left in the library.

"Okay, so the answer to number ten was what again?" Katharine looked up and asked.

"Um, I don't remember. We can ask Remus later." She eyed him skeptically. He hurriedly added, "Madam Pince is kinda glaring at me from over there so maybe we ought to leave."

They quickly shoved their things back into their bags and hurried out of the library.

"So, you're probably really tired. We should get to bed early so we're ready for Quidditch tomorrow," Katharine said as they proceeded up the stairs to the seventh floor.

"Nah, I'll be fine. How are you, though? You nervous at all?"

"Course I'm nervous! Every time I think about it, I have to swallow my stomach back down," she whimpered.

James laughed, "Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel before every game too... Especially the first game."

"Yeah, but you have more pressure on you than I do, being Captain and all."

"True." He had wanted to be alone with her and now he couldn't think of anything more to say. Sometimes, he felt like he couldn't think properly at all around her.

He looked over at her periodically as they walked down the corridor in silence... Yet it wasn't awkward at all. It was as if they were simply enjoying each other's company without even saying a word at all.

After a while, she wouldn't look up at him anymore. He could tell that she was in deep thought as she bit her bottom lip and stared blankly ahead of her.

"What are you thinking about?" James wondered out loud.

"What?" She looked up, her eyebrows furrowed together. "Oh, sorry... Um... Nothing."

"Yeah, sure. You just don't want to tell me," James teased.

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because if I do, you will never shut up about it."

"I promise I will do whatever you wish of me." He tried to look serious but found it very difficult to keep a straight face.

"Oh, don't be so ridiculous," she groaned.

"Don't be so mysterious," he shot back.

They were now at the Fat Lady's portrait. But it was empty!

"Where the hell is she?" Katharine exclaimed.

"Hello!" James hollered as he banged on the portrait, thinking someone would open it up or that the Fat Lady would hear him.

"I can't believe she's gone! Dumbledore needs to have a _serious_ talk with her!"

James looked down at his watch, "Well, it is after curfew so maybe she expected no one to be late?"

Katharine glared at him menacingly, which made him bust out laughing.

"This isn't funny, James! I guess I have to wait for her now..."

_Hmm... _James thought happily._ Things must be in my favor tonight._

"Uh, why don't we just wait at my dorm and we can come back and check in a little while? It's better than sitting on the ground."

"No thanks, James. I can just wait here," she turned around and proceeded to bang on the portrait some more.

He placed his hand on her arm, "Come on, you know you'd like to hang out with me a little longer," he attempted to sound seductive. He noticed her eyes widen and her cheeks turn slightly pink, but she recoiled quickly and attempted to cover it up.

"I- uh- sorry, don't think that's a good idea," she stuttered.

James frowned and slumped against the wall. He pouted and averted his eyes from her, but he still felt her dumbstruck gaze upon him. He knew he had her.

"Dammit!" He heard her whisper to herself. He suppressed a chuckle. "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine," she exclaimed to him and threw her hands up in the air, "we can go back to your dorm, but _only _for a little while."

"Yes ma'am," he grinned wildly. He grabbed her hand immediately and pulled her down the corridor to the Head Boy and Girl common room.

He arrived to the knight and horse, gave the password, and dragged her inside- afraid that if he loosened his grip only slightly, that she'd change her mind and storm off.

"So, um..." He started. They just stood there in the middle of the empty common room, not sure what to do.

"We _could_ sit down, you know," Kat said, clearly amused by his sudden hesitancy.

James strode over to the couch, still holding her hand, and sat down. However, she didn't join him, perhaps rethinking about sitting. She merely stood there with his hand in hers and gazed down at him.

"What?" He asked, a little confused.

"What are we doing?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed together.

"Um, waiting for the Fat Lady to come back, and I am currently sitting on the couch with my arm falling asleep because you're holding it above my head." He tried to be funny, but she was in no way amused and she ripped her hand from his.

"No, James! I mean, what are we doing with_ each other_? Why do we keep letting ourselves be alone together? Actually, I should be asking myself what the hell am _I_ doing? I shouldn't be here- I shouldn't be alone with you. I'm leading you on- I- I can't do this." She proceeded back to the door which was what James had been afraid of.

He leaped up and wrapped his arms around her body.

"We aren't doing anything," he whispered into her ear, "_You _aren't doing anything wrong. You're not leading me on. We are simply waiting for the Fat Lady."

She sighed heavily under his grip.

"Can I let go of you now without you running away?"

She nodded her head slowly and he released her. He stood behind her and watched her slowly turn around to face him.

He studied her face for a moment as she stared up at him with her eyebrows slightly pointed together. She looked... Sad. But he couldn't understand why.

He had no clue what his face read. He was so taken aback by how close they were standing now that he probably looked like a deer in the headlights. He couldn't find his feet and he realized he felt numb from the neck down. He was completely lost in her big brown eyes, and he hoped she was lost in his.

"What are you thinking about now?" He whispered.

As if his voice snapped her out of their gaze, she looked down and backed away slowly, shaking her head. "Nothing... Nothing..."

"Katharine... Please..." He begged.

As if she hadn't heard him, she walked passed him and sat in the middle of the couch.

She was acting so strange...

"Ooookaaaayyy..." James said slowly. He followed her to the couch and mimicked her awkward, straight up sitting position.

"What's wrong?" He finally asked after he couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"Nothing," she said again as she continued to stare at the fire.

"Stop it, Kat, talk to me."

"I'm just confused."

"About?"

"You."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"Oh my God, I am so sick of this! Just tell me!"

"I'm not supposed to like you, James! You're supposed to be with someone else!" She began to tear up.

But James didn't quite hear everything she said. He stopped listening after she said she liked him. "So you admit you like me?"

"Please don't play dumb, you can easily see that I like you," she sniffled.

"I know, but you're actually admitting it!"

She frowned at him.

He sighed, "Katharine..." He reached up and stroked her cheek. He didn't like it when she cried.

"Don't do that," she snapped at him.

"Do what?"

"Touch me. Say sweet things to me. Everything that you've been doing that makes this so hard for me!" She scooted over to the other side of the couch and pulled her legs up to her chest.

James didn't know what else to say... He felt like he was being too repetitive and didn't want to make this any harder for her. He didn't understand why it was so difficult to like him, why she couldn't be with him, but he would leave her be and not press it any further. Otherwise, he would end up pushing her away. She would tell him eventually on her own terms... He hoped.

After a short silence, he asked tentatively, "Are you going to stay over there the whole time?"

"Yep, I planned on it." She said.

"Please come sit next to me," he begged.

"No."

James huffed and pouted again.

"That's not going to work on me again, Potter."

He looked up and smirked. She was staring at him wide eyed, almost scary looking.

"What's wrong with you?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"You, is what's wrong with me! You're driving me crazy!"

"In a good way?"

"NO!"

James threw his head back and laughed. She had no idea that she was driving him just as crazy.

Then, out of the blue, she started to scoot closer towards him. He watched her with a lopsided grin, not believing his eyes.

This was all her. She just couldn't make up her mind. She wanted him, he knew that and she knew that. She just couldn't stop herself. He knew they had some force pulling them towards each other, and eventually they would be together, whenever she stopped fighting it.

"Just can't help yourself, can you?" He teased.

"Shut up, Potter." She ordered, surprising James by scooting even closer and curling up against him. He held his hands up in the air, not quite sure what to make of her sudden emotional change. Once she got settled into his side and rested her head onto his chest, he slowly lowered his arms, letting one drape over her lightly.

Then Katharine whispered sleepily after a while of cuddling, "James..."

"Yeah?" He replied, his stomach doing a light somersault when she said his name.

"Why are you so perfect?" Even though she sounded so sweet and sincere, James couldn't help but laugh again.

"I'm far from perfect. You should have seen me before you came... I told you, I am a different person now since you arrived."

"I find that hard... To... Believe..." And with that said, James looked over her cheek to see her eyes flutter shut.

_Guess we aren't going back to the Fat Lady,_ James thought with a smile.

A few more minutes passed by. James simply enjoyed the silence, listening to Katharine's quiet breathing and stroking her hair lightly.

"Katharine..." He whispered.

No response.

He continued anyway.

"I... I'm not sure if you're listening... But, Kat..." He whispered, still stroking her smooth hair, "I think I'm falling in love with you... I might already _be _in love with you..."

There was a light, "Ahem," from behind him, and he whipped his head around.

Standing at the bottom of the staircase was Lily Evans. Shit... James had momentarily forgotten about her.

"Evans!" James hissed quietly. "What are you doing up?"

She proceeded towards him, "I should be asking you the same thing... I heard voices anyway."

She approached the couch and looked down at the scene. She smiled widely.

"What?" He whispered confusedly, making sure not to wake Kat.

"Oh, nothing," she whispered back.

James glared at her.

"Oh, come off it, Potter. I heard what you said to her, even though she's clearly asleep."

James' stomach instantly dropped. No one was supposed to hear that.

"I- uh- you- you heard?"

"It's okay. Your secret is safe with me," she beamed.

James was taken aback, "It is?"

"Yes. Everyone knows you like her. _And _everyone knows she likes you too, she just hasn't admitted it yet... Maybe not even to herself."

"I don't understand why she is making this so difficult..." He sighed as he looked back down at her sleeping face.

"Well, Katharine seems to be a very stubborn girl, so you pretty much have your hands full." She chuckled quietly. "But you can handle her."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" He asked.

"Well, now that I've seen you two like this, I'm thinking we should at least talk to each other like civilized human beings from now on... For Katharine's sake, of course."

"Really? You're not... Angry at me? For all the annoying trouble I've caused you? Constantly asking you out and I all of a sudden stop when she comes around?"

She crossed her arms and shrugged, "Nah. I think you two are far more compatible than you and I ever would have been. Plus, I may have my eyes on someone else." She blushed slightly.

"Really? Who?"

Lily cocked an eyebrow upward, "Like I'm going to tell you that."

James shook his head, "I see your point."

"Just don't let me run into you two snogging in here or something. I'd like my eyes spared, please."

"Oh, I don't think that will be happening anytime soon... Maybe even ever." He sighed heavily.

"Why do you say that? You don't think you'll get together?"

"I don't know... She seems very firm on not being with me..."

"Oh, clearly." Lily said sarcastically as she motioned towards Katharine cuddling with his side.

"Yeah, I know but... I think she is very lost... I don't think she knows her feelings anymore. It's like she lets her guard down for a split second around me and then quickly snatches it back up. I think she would have pulled away tonight after realizing what she was doing if she hadn't fallen asleep so quickly."

"She'll come around." She said matter-of-factly.

"You know she keeps trying to get you and I together." James said out of the blue.

"Yeah, she's mentioned things like that to me quite a few times..."

"I don't get it," he said, screwing up his face in thought.

"Me neither. But hey, don't give up, James. I really do think she'll change her mind soon." Lily was smiling at him... Actually smiling at him.

"Wow... Are we on a first name basis now?" He grinned.

"Oh, shut it before I actually realize what I'm saying," she smirked and was about to walk back towards the stairs when James spoke back up again.

"You realize this is the longest _conversation _we've ever had? I mean, an actual conversation _without _fighting."

"Huh..." She said thoughtfully stroking her chin. "I guess it is."

"So... Does this mean we're friends?" James wasn't quite sure how that came out of his mouth. Jeez, he sounded like a concerned woman.

Lily laughed quietly, "Um, lets just leave it at _acquaintances_."

James would have laughed, but he didn't want to wake Katharine up. Instead he smiled really big. "Thanks Lily."

"For what?"

"For keeping what you heard a secret... And for helping me see that you actually do have a sweet side." He added with a smirk.

"Hmm... You better watch it, or I might just change my mind about this whole nice thing." She laughed again and added, "Get some sleep. You're gonna need it tomorrow." And she disappeared up the stairs.

James smiled to himself and resumed stroking Katharine's hair. Guess she was a heavy sleeper; or very, very tired.

He leaned his head back against the couch, closed his eyes, and prepared for basically another sleepless night; but to him, it was so worth it.


	15. The Real Horcrux

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**A/N: I felt like there was no other way for me to write this, because they have to find all of the Horcruxes and there was no way Dumbledore could get this locket by himself so... Yeah, you'll see what I mean and I hope you all still like this after you read this chapter. haha**

**Chapter 15**

**The Real Horcrux**

"Oh my gosh, you guys! You need to _GET UP NOW_!"

"Wh- what?" Katharine said groggily. Someone was yelling at her and shaking her repeatedly, but it just now sunk in of what the girl was saying... 'You guys?'

She sat up from her lying position and realized that her left cheek was numb and asleep. She must have laid on it all night. Then she realized with a sharp pain down her back that she had an awful crick in her neck as well.

_What's wrong with me_? She thought as she rubbed her sore neck, still keeping her eyes closed as they stung from sleepiness.

"GET UP!"

"What the hell, Lily? We're up!" Came James' voice to her left. What? James? Lily?

Finally, Katharine opened her eyes and was stunned at her situation.

She was still in the Head Boy and Girl Common Room and she stared up at Lily, whom spoke again, "You guys are going to be late for your first Quidditch game! You need to get out there NOW!"

"Oh, SHIT!" James cried and he leaped up from the couch. "How much time do we have?"

"Twenty minutes!"

Katharine got up and stumbled, but James had caught her before she face planted into the carpet.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he braced her by her upper arms.

"What happened?"

"You fell asleep on me last night and now we're late for the game. They're probably already warming up."

"Oh my gosh!" Finally, Katharine was awake and she pushed James aside and ran out of the portrait hole.

"I'll meet you in five!" Came James' voice from behind her.

"Shit!" Katharine exclaimed, racing down the corridor. "What have I done?"

How could she let herself fall asleep on James last night? How could she let herself be vulnerable like that? She was supposed to just be friends with him! And there she was, cuddling up and falling asleep on him! And Lily SAW them! She was falling way too hard for this guy, and now he was bound to never stop thinking about her. Of course he was head over heels for her now! He had let her fall asleep and he didn't wake her, which meant he wanted her to stay with him... Which meant he really, really liked her now. Great. Just great.

Kat ran up to the Fat Lady and couldn't help but take her frustration out on her.

"Where the hell were you last night? You made me do something I should never have done!" She shrieked.

"Excuse you?" The Fat Lady yelled back. "But I did no such thing! I merely took a stroll to one of my dear friend's portraits. So sorry that I wasn't here at your beckon call, you little twit!"

"Oh just open the damn door! Oddsbodokins!" Katharine shouted the password at her.

The portrait swung open, and Katharine paid no attention to the insults the Fat Lady was yelling behind her.

She raced up the Girl's Dormitory staircase. The Common Room was completely deserted and so was her dorm. Everyone was at the Quidditch field.

She tore off her clothes and put on her red Quidditch uniform and cloak, grabbed her new broom that Dumbledore had provided for her, and raced back out of the Tower. No time to even look at herself in the mirror.

She kicked the portrait door open and nearly smacked James in the face with it. Aw, he looked so cute in his Quidditch uniform and tousled hair.

"Sorry!" She shrieked, mentally slapping herself for thinking he looked cute.

"It's fine, we've got to go!"

"You better change that rotten attitude of yours, Young Lady, or I won't let you back in!" The Fat Lady yelled after them.

"Huh?" James said as they ran down the stairs.

"I might have yelled at her about last night," Katharine laughed half heartily.

"Don't worry bout last night, Kat. Nothing happened, we'll get there on time."

"But I'm hungry..." Kat pouted. She decided she would _really _talk to him about last night after the game.

"Me too," James said sadly.

They reached the grounds and proceeded to run towards the field when Kat stopped running.

"Hey, wouldn't it be smarter if we just fly to the Quidditch field?"

James laughed boisterously, "That _would_ be smart, now wouldn't it?"

And so they mounted their brooms and kicked off. They sped over dozens of students walking late towards the field. Kat looked down and saw that they all were looking up at the pair and laughing, knowing that they were running late as well.

They arrived at the tent in no time and burst inside.

"So- sorry- we're late!" James said breathlessly.

The team was looking back at them with blank looks. Okay, at least they weren't mad at them.

Sirius walked up to James, a wide grin on his face, "You've got some explaining to do later, mate."

Katharine saw James' smirk and she almost wished she could rewind time again and take back last night. Now he was going to boast about her falling asleep on him...

"Okay!" James walked to the middle of the group and spoke to the whole team as Captain. "I trust you all have finished warming up?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good! Now, all of you have been on this team for a while- except for our new player, Kat-" He motioned towards her and all eyes were on her for a moment. She looked down to hide her red face. "So I won't go into the same old speech about needing to bring it or we've got to blow them off their broomsticks. All I'm going to say is- we're playing Slytherin! Need I say more?"

The team cheered in agreement and finally, that overwhelming nervous feeling washed over Katharine as she mentally prepared for her first game in a long time.

"Hey," James leaned in towards her, "you okay?"

"Yeah," Katharine yelped, "just peachy."

He chuckled, "You'll be fine, don't worry. We practiced enough, I think we'll be fine without a warm up."

Katharine whimpered, but was cut off by the commentator booming across the grounds, calling for the students and staff to finish taking their seats as they would be starting soon.

Sirius then walked over to Katharine too and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I bet you're pretty nervous, huh?"

"Extremely," she admitted.

"Ah, you'll be fine! Just don't get hit by a bludger if I happen to miss one- which I doubt- but, you never know." He left her with a wink over his shoulder.

They all lined up at the exit of the tent that lead into the Quidditch field. Light from outside was peaking through the slit of the two curtains and it danced across Kat's shiny new broomstick.

She pulled her long hair up into a messy pony-tail, then quickly joined the line next to the only other girl on the team, whom was their Seeker. She also was a seventh year, and Katharine now knew that she was Lily's friend Mary Macdonald that had sat next to them in Charms.

On her other side was James, and down the line was their other Chaser whom was slightly taller than James and was a sixth year; then stood the two Beaters, including the fairly muscular Sirius, however the other boy was much more muscular and was a sixth year as well; and lastly their Keeper whom was the youngest on the team, being only a fifth year, but was decent at blocking.

"Everybody ready?" James asked the team.

Everyone answered by mounting their broomsticks.

Then, the whistle blew. The curtains opened wide and everyone kicked off and soared into the sky.

Red and green players were everywhere as the commentator introduced each one.

"And our newest Gryffindor student, Katharine Parker!" He shouted lastly. Katharine groaned and kept her eyes away from the stands. If there was one thing she hated more than Voldemort, it was being in front of a bunch of people. If she hadn't loved Quidditch so much, she probably wouldn't play just because everyone in the entire school was there to watch you.

Then both teams flew to the center of the field and surrounded Madam Hooch in a circle. She stood on the ground by the box that contained the Bludgers, the Quaffle, and the Snitch.

"Play well, play clean, and play fair! All of you!" Katharine and James shared a quick glance at each other and smirked.

Yeah right. Like Slytherins of any era played clean and fair.

Then, Madam Hooch pointed her wand at the box and it shot open. The Snitch and Bludgers flew out into the air and disappeared from site. She grabbed the Quaffle, blew her whistle, and tossed it high up in there air.

And Katharine lunged.

She was in game mode now. Nothing else mattered except for getting that stupid ball and taking it down to the hoops.

She collided with a Slytherin that blocked her when she reached for the ball. No matter though, James was quicker and snatched it and sped straight for the hoops. Katharine zoomed after him, along with the other Chasers.

James dodged a Bludger that was flying towards him by one of the Slytherin Beaters. With the Quaffle still in hand, he almost made it to the hoops when a Slytherin Chaser snatched the ball from him. They all turned around and chased him back in the other direction.

Sirius came out of no where and hit a Bludger straight towards the Slytherin that had the Quaffle. He dodged it, but lost the ball and Katharine was right there to catch it. She flew as if her life depended on it and was at the hoops so quickly that the Slytherin Keeper had no time to prepare to block. She threw the ball with all her might and it went straight through the middle ring.

The crowd cheered and the commentator shouted, "Katharine Parker makes the first goal! Ten points to Gryffindor!"

James flew up to her and fist bumped her, "Nice job, Kat!"

She beamed happily. It was good to be back in the game.

They played like this for what felt like hours, but could possibly have only been a little over an hour. James had made most of the goals for the team, Katharine making a few and their other Chaser, Ryan, making a couple goals as well. Gryffindor was only twenty points behind now.

And then it happened. A Slytherin Beater was close behind James, and had already swung with all of his might at a Bludger. It soared at top speed towards the back of James' head.

Horror struck Katharine as she was already speeding towards him, but it was too late. The Bludger hit him in the back of the head and he instantly was knocked out. His body turned limp and he slipped off his broomstick and plunged toward the earth.

A couple things suddenly happened at once.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katharine saw Mary lunge towards the ground in the distance and spin around crazily in the sky, with the Slytherin Seeker right at the tip of her bristles.

Katharine instinctively dove directly beneath James and braced herself. He then slammed into her like a ton of bricks and they fell off her broomstick. She kept her arms wrapped around him as wind and faint gasps and screaming from the crowd filled her ears. They plummeted towards the earth and had only been a few yards from the ground, but at least she broke his fall for the most part. With a splat, they hit the earth hard and Katharine felt a sickening snap in her wrist, along with possible internal damage from catching James.

Then, Madam Hooch blew the whistle and shouted, "Mary has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

Cheers erupted from all over and Katharine rolled over and looked up at the sky.

Players flew down and surrounded them immediately, including Mary with the Snitch in her hand. Madam Hooch, McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Madam Pomfrey raced towards them as well.

Katharine regained equilibrium and rolled over to James, whom was lying in an awkward position, still out cold. She turned him over and saw that his glasses had broken from the fall and that his nose was bleeding and looked slightly crooked. Well, Katharine had _tried_ to break his fall...

She held his head in her good hand and felt warm liquid run down her hand and forearm. She gasped.

"His head is bleeding! Do something, please!" She screamed frantically after she glanced at her bloody hand. She didn't care that everyone was staring at her complete hysteria over him.

"Out of my way, out of my way!" Screeched Madam Hooch as she weaved through the Gryffindor players. None of the Slytherins were around, of course.

She knelt down on the other side of James, "He'll be fine, Miss Parker. He just needs to go to the Infirmary to get stitched up and examined by Madam Pomfrey. He has seen worse, my dear, believe me."

Katharine stared after Madam Hooch, completely wide eyed, as she raised her wand at James and levitated him off the ground. Everyone followed Madam Hooch, including Sirius. Katharine, however, remained on her knees and was on the verge of tears. That was just too scary for her. Even Harry hadn't gone through something that severe. How had James seen worse than _that_?

Someone then cleared their throat from behind her, and she slowly turned around and looked up.

Dumbledore was smiling down upon her with twinkling eyes. He spoke, "I see someone has become rather fond of the dear Mr. Potter."

Katharine looked down in shame.

He then held his fragile looking hand out to her. She grabbed it with her bloody hand and was pulled to her feet. Surprisingly, he had more strength than she had imagined.

He chuckled, "We shall talk about that later... Are you alright, Katharine?" He asked.

"Yeah, but I think my wrist is broken from the fall... And my side hurts from when I caught him." She answered as she cradled her injured wrist.

"Come, I can take care of you in my office. I have some things to discuss with you." He led her off the field, Katharine grabbing her broomstick along the way where it had fallen.

"And I must add, that was very brave of you... Not very many would risk themselves for a friend as you did."

"Thank you, sir..."

She would have rather followed everyone with James, but she knew Dumbledore had more important matters to discuss. James would be alright, she reassured herself.

"May I ask what you need to discuss with me, sir?" She finally spoke as they were settled in his office and had finished taking care of her fractured wrist and ribs. She felt much better, almost good as new. His spell obviously worked wonders. She would just have some soreness for a few days.

"Well, I would like you to know that I have acquired the Horcrux ring that you spoke of from the Gaunt Shack. I also, have found the location of the locket inside the cave in which you spoke of. Tom Riddle once discovered the cave while on a seaside trip with his orphanage."

"How in the world did you find that out?" Katharine asked, wide eyed and amazed.

He chuckled, "I have my ways."

She raised an eyebrow, "There's more, isn't there?"

"Yes..." He paused and leaned forward slightly, "Katharine, I need you to come with me to get the locket in the cave."

She sighed, "I was afraid you would say that... Okay," she started as she faced the fact that she had no argument in this, "then there are some things you need to know about the cave. Harry told me a little of what had happened, which means, thankfully, we can prevent some things from happening that they- or I should say you and Harry- had not known about."

"Right, do share." He grinned and leaned back in his chair.

"First off, there is a lake inside that is infested with Inferi and the locket is right in the middle of it on an island. Harry said, though, that there was an invisible boat anchored to the wall that you had to search for, and you used that to get to the island. Then, the locket was inside a basin filled with a liquid that must be drunk. You drank it, and Harry said you basically hallucinated and needed water terribly. However, when Harry reached into the lake for water, it disrupted the Inferi and they started attacking you guys. So basically, we _can't touch the water_."

Dumbledore chuckled again, "It is quite interesting to hear you say things that I have already done, or soon to do... Right then, shall we go?"

"Wh- what? Go now?"

"Why yes, now. We must find these as soon as possible. You are feeling up to it, yes?"

"Um... Yeah. Okay, lets go."

They stood up at the same time and Dumbledore walked over to Katharine. He held his hand out to her, and as soon as she grabbed it, she was sucked into a whirling wind of sickness.

With a jolt, they landed on a cliff side. The sound of the sea beating against the cliff and the wind around them was deafening. The sun shown brightly and glistened off of the sea, probably very different from when Harry had visited it before- later- whatever.

"Sir, over there!" Katharine shouted at Dumbledore and pointed at the large fissure in the cliff.

"Ah! We have to swim to it!" He shouted back.

Katharine groaned. Dumbledore dove in gracefully and before she followed, she looked down at her attire- still in her Quidditch robes. She sighed and jumped in after him.

Katharine swam faster and reached the cave before Dumbledore. Both dripping wet, they walked into the cave- only it wasn't a very big cave. It came to a dead end only a few feet into the cliff.

"Um," Katharine started.

"Blood..." Dumbledore whispered.

"Sorry?"

"It appears that Lord Voldemort would want to potentially weaken his 'thief' and so would want blood shed for him." With that said, Dumbledore pulled out a handy knife and sliced his forearm without hesitation. Blood oozed out of the wound and he wiped his arm along the rock. Immediately, the rock began to separate, and an opening appeared.

Through the opening, Katharine saw the huge black lake with a greenish glow in the center. She felt weird being here... She felt as if Harry had come here for nothing, because now they were here and would get the Horcrux way before Harry was even born.

Dumbledore lit his wand and walked around the black lake. He groped the air as he walked, finally stopping as his hand clasped around something midair. As soon as he touched it, the chain appeared between his fingers and he began reeling in the small boat that suddenly surfaced.

He proceeded to climb into the boat first, turned around, and helped Katharine step in. Too afraid to stand, she knelt down in the boat as it started to propel itself forward.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. "Uh, sir, I forgot to mention... The locket was a fake in my time... Someone had gotten to it before you two..."

Dumbledore whipped his head around and glared at her.

"B-but we might not have to worry about that," Katharine hesitated, "I mean, we might be here before that person, you know..." She laughed awkwardly.

His eyes squinted as he stared at her, but did not reply. He simply turned back around and watched as they approached the island.

After plucking up enough courage to look down, Katharine peered into the lake and yelped. The dead bodies, or Inferi, were simply floating around in the lake, barely within reach of the boat.

Now Katharine's heart beat was racing.

The boat came to a halt and they climbed up to the tall basin filled with the glowing green liquid. Katharine stared at it in horror, knowing the hard part was about to come that even Harry would not talk to her about.

"Okay, Katharine. No matter what happens and no matter what I say, promise me you will force it down. No matter what."

"I promise... No matter what," she said weakly.

Dumbledore nodded once and conjured up himself a goblet... He dipped the goblet into the green potion, and downed the first cup... And the second... And then the third.

Immediately, he began to quiver and shake. He dropped the goblet and clutched his throat.

"No, no!" He cried.

Katharine snatched the goblet and dunked it into the potion. It was odd, because the potion seemed to not even soak her skin, yet it filled the cup easily. "Sir, please, drink some more. It's not that bad, here." He obeyed and drank a fourth cup.

He screamed, "No! No more, please! It's too painful, please! Don't make me!"

"I know, I'm so sorry, sir. Just one more, one more!" Tears began to swell in her eyes. She was not as strong as Harry, how did she get herself into this mess?

She forced his head back and drained it down his throat. He crouched down and began rocking back and forth.

"Please, stop! I can't do it! No more, just finish me off, please!"

"L- last one, sir. I p- promise, last one..." And she forced him a sixth cup.

He writhed in pain on the ground. Katharine quickly looked back in the basin and noticed it was almost gone. Just one more cup. She emptied the basin and spun around.

"Dumbledore! NO!"

He was crawling towards the lake. "Water. So thirsty..."

Katharine threw the goblet back into the basin and leaped for Dumbledore. She landed on him with a thud and grabbed both of his bony wrists.

"Sir, you can't! One more glass! One more and I will stop the pain and I will get you water! Just ONE MORE!" She pulled him with all of her strength back up to the basin and leaned him against a rock, keeping one hand firmly latched to his wrist as she should have done in the first place.

"Here sir, last one," she said after she picked the goblet back up out of the potion and emptied the basin. He tilted his head back one last time and he drank the final, seventh cup.

Katharine stuffed the goblet into her robes, snatched the stupid locket from the basin and stuffed it in her inside pocket.

"Okay, sir, lets go. We're going to get you back to some water, okay? I'll help you." She attempted to pull him, but he was much stronger than her.

"No! Water now! Can't bear it!" And he stumbled down to the lake again.

Katharine thought quickly this time, though, and whipped out her wand and cried, "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Immediately, Dumbledore turned into a stiff figure, face down on the rocky ground.

"_Mobilicorpus_," she said. He rose off of the ground and Katharine stepped down the rocks and pointed her wand towards the small boat. She laid him down slowly in it, careful not to break the spell or do anything disastrous. She climbed in and hung onto him as the boat began to move again.

Fearing that the danger was not over yet, she refused to relax nor look down.

The boat came to a halt and she non-verbally cast _"Mobilicorpus" _again and sent Dumbledore to the ground. Before she could climb out though, the boat horrifyingly started to sink. She leaped, breaking the spell of Dumbledore's body, and only landed halfway onto the rocky ground. Her leg didn't quite make it all the way and she felt it submerge underwater. Screaming at the top of her lungs and clawing at the ground, she pulled herself up as the Inferi began climbing out of the water. They nearly missed her leg and began crawling over each other, all trying to reach her first.

Adrenaline kicking in overdrive, she shouted, "_Mobilicorpus_," again and lifted Dumbledore up and practically flew out of the huge cave, well, Dumbledore being the one that was actually flying.

She knew she wasn't going to make it in time, so she leaped through the opening and waved her wand on her way through. The rock wall collapsed behind her, and she landed on the ground and covered her head.

The rocks finally stopped falling and Katharine dug herself out, now completely covered in dust that turned into wet mud once it touched her wet robes.

She turned around and finally gave a great big sigh once she saw that the opening had completely closed up. They were safe.

Slowly standing up, she realized how banged up she was from the falling rocks. She looked around and spotted Dumbledore, whom was now moving and tossing rocks off of himself.

"Dumbledore!" She shrieked and ran over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Sore... Weak..." He barely got out.

Katharine stooped down and ducked under one of his arms and hoisted him up. "Come on, sir, help me out as best you can so you can Apparate us back to the castle."

They limped out into the open sea, Katharine breathing in the fresh salty air.

"Can you do this?" She asked, knowing only he was able to Disapparate to and from the castle. Otherwise, she would do it.

"Yes, hold on tightly," he grunted.

And she was spun around yet again and they landed in his office in no time.

Katharine walked him over to his chair and practically dropped him into it.

"Katharine, dear, bring me that flask over there by the cabinet." She obediently ran over to the cabinet and brought him the flask filled with a bluish liquid.

She looked at him questioningly and he answered, "It's sort of a booster potion for the old and weak, if you will."

"Oh... Well, that's nice to have on hand..." She said awkwardly.

"Are you okay, dear?" He watched her concernedly.

"Oh fine... Might have almost lost our lives back there several times because you almost touched the water twice and I had to body bind you and levitate you so that I could get you out of there. And then the boat started to sink before I was out of it and the Inferi nearly took me under, but at least we got out with what we wanted." She beamed in spite of her near fatal experience as she reached into her inside pocket and pulled out the locket and then pulled out the goblet from her outside pocket as well.

"Well done, Katharine! You acted beautifully. Give it here, please," Dumbledore said in amazement. He surveyed the locket. "It is the real Horcrux."

"How do you know?"

"I can sense it... I feel its power..."

Katharine stared. Tiredness and weakness was finally succumbing her.

Dumbledore seemed to notice her sway and grabbed her arm. "Katharine, you may go back and rest. Try not to be seen, as you look, well, dreadful." He grinned.

"Thank you..." She headed towards the door, but turned around once more. "Sir, how do you plan on destroying the locket and the ring?"

Dumbledore did not look up from the locket as he spoke, "That I have yet to figure out." And then he downed his potion.


	16. Secrets Let Loose

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 16**

**Secrets Let Loose**

After a nice hot shower and clean clothes, Katharine made her way towards the Hospital Wing. She was so tired and extremely hungry having had no breakfast or lunch, and now would have to skip supper as well if she wanted to see James. She had to see him though... After her near fatal incident, she realized something that somewhat pained her, and yet exhilarated her.

She needed James Potter. There was no ignoring it anymore. She loved him. She was_ in_ love with him. She couldn't imagine a life without him; well, she could, but she knew her life would mean nothing without him in it.

Yes, she believed she still loved Harry. But being here clouded her judgement about him. Everything she ever knew about him was slipping away even faster, and was being replaced with James: the one whom was meant to hold her heart. But did that mean she should let him? Change the future so much as to make someone never be born?

Then she thought, was Harry even supposed to be born? She and Dumbledore were finding the Horcruxes. Harry wouldn't need to be born to defeat Voldemort anymore. She and Dumbledore would finish him now... Was it cruel for her to choose to be with James over Harry? She felt like she didn't even deserve either one now...

However, if she returned home, would Lily and James even get together anymore? What if James never got over her if she were to leave? Or what if he did and would either suffice with Lily or realize that he truly did love Lily? Or what if he waited for time to take its course and wait until Katharine was old enough to be with him... A thought like that seemed silly, but Katharine couldn't help but smile at it.

Now the true question lay unanswered... Should she tell James? Should she tell him why she's been so difficult? Tell him about his son and then Lily, who he's truly supposed to be with? That this could possibly just be a strong crush and it had nothing to do with fate?

Or did this honestly just have to do with _fate?_ So many questions Katharine had to ask with nobody to answer them.

She had been standing outside the Hospital Wing for who knows how long. Finally, she plucked up enough courage to push the doors open and slip inside.

He was laying in bed on his side facing the door. His eyes were closed and he didn't have his glasses on.

Katharine walked over to him, but apparently he hadn't been sleeping very deeply, if at all. His eyes shot open and he looked at Katharine, but wasn't really _looking _at her.

He slowly sat up and reached for his glasses, looking up and smiling wide once he saw clearly whom was standing next to him.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she whispered back dumbly.

"Sorry, my eyes are terrible. I didn't recognize you when you walked in. Where have you been?" He asked as she stared down at him with sad eyes. His nose was bandaged with gauze and his arm was in a sling, most likely due to the fall. He had two black eyes from his broken nose and he looked awfully pale.

"What's wrong?" He suddenly asked, forgetting about his previous question.

"You look awful," she said as tears stung her eyes.

"Well, what did you expect? I was knocked out for nearly ten minutes," he smirked and then it quickly turned into a frown once he saw her tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh- hey, don't cry. Come here," he tugged on her sleeve lightly with his good arm and motioned for her to sit next to him on the bed. She didn't object, sliding up next to him as he wrapped his arm around her. "It's not that bad, okay? I'm completely fine. A broken nose and arm and a huge gash in my head, along with a terrible headache, won't damper my spirits. I've had worse, believe me."

"Yeah, that's what everyone keeps saying... What could be worse than this?" She asked slightly hysterically as she gestured up and down his body.

He chuckled humorlessly, "Well, lets just say that my anger might have gotten the best of me, and I kinda broke both of me legs and was unconscious for about two days."

Kat's eyes widened in horror. "What the hell happened?"

"Um..." He shuffled awkwardly on the bed, "I kinda tackled a Slytherin Chaser mid air, and we sort of plummeted to the ground, maybe... Fifty feet or so in the air?"

She then narrowed her eyes at him, "You're stupid. It's amazing you're still standing today."

He grinned, "Yeah, I know... But at least I got what I deserved, even if it was a Slytherin... He only got a broken wrist and an even more shitty attitude."

Katharine threw her head back and laughed loudly. Wow... It felt awkward to laugh. How long had it been since she'd truly laughed?

James was watching her and smiling widely as she looked back at him.

"I love your laugh..." He said.

"Thanks..." She half-smiled.

He squeezed her tightly and said, "So, that's that... At least I'm all better now that you're here... You know how Quidditch gets, babe."

"But, it's different with you," she said as her stomach squirmed when he called her babe.

"How so?" Even he couldn't hide the excitement in his tone.

Katharine remained silent.

"It's okay... I know how you feel now." She looked at him completely stunned. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I heard what you did. Everyone's talking about how you saved me."

She smiled slightly and turned away to hide her pink cheeks, "It was nothing. I'd do it for anyone."

"What were you thinking, Kat?" He exclaimed as she was completely taken aback by his mood change. "Risking your life by catching me at high speed while falling out of the sky?"

"I was thinking about you not breaking your neck and dying."

"Are you hurt?" He asked. A little late for that, huh?

"Nah, I'm fine. Just had a broken rib and wrist. Guess my ribs are a little more sensitive from previous... Things... But yeah, I'm all better."

"All better?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Mhmm. Better off than you, that's for sure." She smirked.

"Who fixed you? You never came in here... Speaking of which, you didn't answer where you have been."

"I uh... I went with Dumbledore after the game and he fixed me up."

"Why were you with Dumbledore?" He watched her with furrowed eyebrows. Okay, apparently he was not going to let this go.

"Dumbledore and I had to take care of some things. That's all, I can't tell you more." She held her head high and pursed her lips.

"Why not?" He raised his voice slightly and took his arm away, "I told you that you can tell me anything."

"No James, there are some things I am not allowed to share with you and that's not my orders, it's Dumbledore's. So let it go."

"Fine." And he laid his head on her shoulder.

They sat like that for a while in silence, probably both thinking about the same thing...

"So," he said finally, "would you like to talk about last night?"

"Hey, where are the others?" Katharine blurted out, avoiding his question.

"That was a really stupid diversion." He cocked an eyebrow at her as she couldn't help but snort loudly. He continued, "They're at supper. Now don't avoid my question. If it will help, I'll go first." He paused. "I really enjoyed it... And I hope you're not mad at me... You just looked so peaceful."

"Well, I wasn't very peaceful. I still have a horrible crick in my neck." She rubbed her neck dramatically.

"I'm sorry... Did you not enjoy it?" He looked at her with worried eyes... She had to be honest with him...

"Yes, I did enjoy being with you... I guess I overreacted a little last night... And this morning."

His smile spoke a thousand words. "Excellent! So would you like to go on a date with me on our next trip to Hogsmeade?"

"James!"

"What? It was worth a shot." Katharine couldn't help but laugh at him again.

"So, speaking of supper..." She started as she regained composure. "I kind of haven't eaten all day... You know, with missing breakfast with you and then I didn't go to lunch and now I am skipping supper to see you..."

"You can go if you want, I'm just glad I got to see you... Thank you for coming." He smiled at her and kissed her on her cheek, which if she had been standing, her knees would have buckled.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow? You'll be out by then?" She asked as she stood up and straightened her hoodie.

"I _better_ be out by then," he groaned.

With a wave, Katharine left the Hospital Wing and joined the others at supper and explained that she had been seeing James in the Wing. They were almost finished, so she ate quickly and then followed the three Marauders and Renee up to the Common Room. Laura and Jordan went off with their boyfriends before curfew.

She was about to step through the portrait hole after finishing up their conversation about the earlier game, when Remus tugged on her sleeve.

"Would you mind if I had a word with you?" He asked, staring her right in the eyes. Immediately, she felt uncomfortable. Now that she thought of it, this was the first time Remus had spoken to her all night.

"Um, sure."

The others went into the Common Room while she followed Remus a few feet down the corridor away from the portrait. He stopped and spun around so quickly, that he made Katharine jump back slightly.

"Uh, is something wrong?" She asked cautiously.

"Where were you today?" He asked, scrutinizing her face.

"Why does it matter?" She asked, knowing fully well that wasn't enough for him.

"Because I know you're hiding something."

"Remus, I have many things to hide." She tried to not sound defensive.

"I'm sure, but I deserve to know why you disappeared all day after the game and suddenly appear at the end of supper. You were hurt after you caught James, I know it and I would have expected you to go to the Hospital Wing but then I saw you leave with Dumbledore. What were you doing? Are you still trying to find a way back home?"

"Of course I'm trying to find a way home, Remus, I don't belong here-"

"Then why are you leading James on?"

"I'm not leading James on!"

"Come on, you think he doesn't share anything with us? We know everything you guys do together. He tells us everything you say. One minute you want to be with him and the next you're chewing him out for being alone together! He's crazy about you and I'm tired of seeing him like this. He's happy when he's around you, but when he's not, he's depressed that you two aren't together!"

"James isn't a child, he doesn't need you looking out for him-"

"He needs someone to make him see sense. Both him and Sirius need me looking out for them because they are idiotic about you women!"

"Would you stop interrupting me?" She exclaimed as she threw her hands up.

Remus opened his mouth but snapped it shut and glared at her.

She continued, "No matter how I feel, Remus, I _must _go back home. I can't let myself be a stupid little girl that can't handle her emotions and completely change the future."

"But we already had this talk, Kat! What if you're here _to _change the future?"

"I _am_ here to change the future, and I'm doing that already with Dumbledore! But it's not about James."

"What are you doing with Dumbledore then?"

"Trying to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes-" she blurted out and quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Okay, see? There, you're doing good. You're actually talking to someone." He seemed to be mocking her, but she wasn't quite sure if he was mocking or actually being helpful. So she glared at him either way. He continued, "Now what is it about these Horcruxes?"

"Shhhhh!" She hissed. She grabbed his arm and yanked him down the corridor, around the corner, and behind a tapestry that blocked a secret passageway that James had taken her down before. She drug him halfway down the spiral staircase and then came to a halt. She pinned him against the wall and pointed her finger at his face for emphasis, "You can't tell _anyone _what I am about to tell you, alright? I won't even tell James, but for some reason, I feel like I should tell you."

He nodded vigorously and remained silent. Kat quickly placed a silencing charm around them and then told him the entire story about the Horcruxes and Voldemort and that she will most likely be disappearing frequently with Dumbledore. She didn't know why it was easier for her to tell Remus over James, and afterwards, she wasn't quite sure if that was the right thing to do anymore... But it was too late now.

"Wow... Um... Kat, I had no right to treat you the way I did. You do have a lot on your plate and I'm sorry that I thought this was all about James..."

"It's okay. I mean, a lot of my stress is due to James, but it is also quite a lot of other things," she frowned.

"But this will be great, right? I mean, with you guys destroying all of these Horcruxes, Voldemort will never do all of those terrible things he did to you before you got here!"

"Voldemort did a lot more terrible things to many other people. What he did to me was nothing in comparison."

Remus sighed and sat down on a step.

"What?" She asked as she stooped down and sat beside him.

"Well, going back to the 'James' subject, what are you going to do about him? I know you want to be with him... I can see it every time you look at him. You can't even deny the way you acted the first time you saw him." He looked at her from under his long, shaggy bangs.

"Remus, there's something else you should know about James..." Katharine couldn't believe what she was about to tell him, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. Maybe it would help if she told Remus about Harry first before actually telling James. He would be able to tell her the right thing to do.

"Okaaaaayyyy..." He said slowly, "What is it?"

She took a deep breath and spoke to the spiraling wall in front of her, "James is my boyfriend's father back at home."

There was a momentary silence after the ear splitting 'pop' Remus made as his mouth dropped open and then a 'click' as it quickly snapped shut.

Katharine watched him with terrified eyes. Was he freaking out? Would he run off and tell James immediately?

Finally, he said as he stared at the opposite wall again, "So this is how you knew us when you got here."

"Well, kind of..."

"What do you mean?" He finally looked at her.

"Um, I just know you and Sirius more because you were our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in my third year and Sirius was Harry's Godfather and all... That's also how I knew you were a werewolf..." She didn't feel like it was appropriate to tell him that James was dead.

"Woah, I become Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" He had a huge smile on his face.

"Yes, but only for one year because you know the position is cursed..."

"But still!"

Katharine frowned at him, trying to show that he needed to get back on track.

After he composed himself, he said, "Wait, so your boyfriend is this Harry bloke? The one you kept thinking was James when you first saw him?"

Katharine half laughed, half sighed, "Yeah, that's him..."

"Who's the mother?" He asked the question that Katharine was so hoping he wouldn't.

"Lily Evans."

"No way?" He hopped slightly on the step, apparently completely shocked by this. Katharine watched him as he chuckled to himself and shook his head. "I knew they would come around... That is before you came here, of course," he grinned.

"Thanks, that makes me feel loads better..."

After a moment's pause, he asked softly, "So, do you still want Harry?"

"I- I think so... It's strange, but being here so long now, I feel like my memory is slipping away... A lot of my Harry memories are being replaced with James... And it's killing me because I feel like this isn't right to do to either one of them, even though one doesn't really know what's going on right now... But I- I just can't help how I feel about James..."

Remus rested his chin in his hand, "I see your problem... Choose between your own true happiness with James, or leave it be and hopefully go back home where you will be kinda happy with Harry..."

"Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that, but yeah, kinda..."

He sighed, "Are they alike at all? You think you're liking James because he's like Harry?"

"Well... In looks, yes, they are almost identical, except that Harry has Lily's gorgeous green eyes... But, personality... They are completely different..." She smiled at the thought of James again, "James is so boisterous and always happy, he never has a care in the world... Harry on the other hand, I love him but, he's so sad and gloomy. Although, he has had a much harder life than James, it's really taken a toll on him."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

"Shit! I'm sorry, I can't tell you- you mustn't know too much."

"You've already told me too much, a little more can't hurt," he smiled.

She sighed, "Okay... James and Lily were killed by Voldemort." She quickly added due to Remus' facial expression, "But that could change if Dumbledore and I destroy all of the Horcruxes and kill him!"

"But why? Why were they both killed?"

"Why else? Because they defied the Dark Lord! So they had to go into hiding... And um..." She stopped talking. Damn-it! She said too much again!

"And what?"

"Their Secret Keeper gave them away."

"Whom was?" He was watching her intently.

She paused.

"Peter."

"PETER?" He howled and shot up and stared down at her, "Why not me or Sirius? How could-? Why would-? WHY?"

Katharine quickly stood as well and grabbed him by the arms, "Remus! You can't act differently around him! He can't know this! Please!" She released him and quickly changed moods, "No, I've told you too much... Damn-it, why?..." Her stupid tears quickly trailed down her cheeks. Man, it sure didn't take much for her water works to turn on anymore.

She began to sob uncontrollably and then Remus pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry, it's the werewolf in me... I'm sorry, I forced it out of you. It's okay, it's not your fault. I promise, I promise I won't act differently around him, okay? Maybe Peter needs a little more attention. Maybe he felt left out... But, we don't have to worry about that anymore because you will destroy Voldemort. You will, I know you will. Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me and only me."

Katharine tried to get her breathing under control, but she kept hiccuping. "What- should I- do- about James?"

"I think you know what to do."

"But I don't!" She pulled back and looked up at him, "I don't know what to do! I love Harry, but I- I love James too."

"You shouldn't have to worry about changing the future. You weren't sent here by accident. You should be able to live day by day the way you want to and not have to think about changing the future-"

"But I would seriously be changing a lot of things. I would stop someone from ever being born, someone I love. Someone that would never touch certain peoples' lives."

"Listen to me. That wouldn't even matter. No one would know the difference. Only _you_ would. It would be like it never happened."

She paused and thought about that idea for a moment... "Yeah, I guess you're right... But, I do miss home..."

"But isn't your home here with us now?"

"I can't have a home here unless I'm with James." She answered automatically and was taken aback. Where had that come from?

"Well then, I think you have already decided on what you're going to do," he smiled at her as they started climbing back up the stairs together.

"Yeah... I think I'll tell James how I feel."

"When?"

"_Eventually!_" She hissed at him.

Yes, eventually. She didn't know when, but she felt like she should talk to Dumbledore about it first before she said anything. He would know more about this future stuff and could hopefully tell her what she should do... Hopefully.

But, at least she found a friend from all of this. She least expected it to be Remus, but now she realized he was almost like her Ron. The guy friend that she had always been able to confide in and not have to worry about it being awkward.

She did miss Ron and Hermione though, and of course Harry, but she had friends here now. Not necessarily _better_, but just... _New _friends.


	17. This Is It

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 17**

**This Is It**

Another week or so had gone by now and Katharine had yet to talk to James, nor spoken to Dumbledore about her situation. Now was her chance, however, as she tapped her foot impatiently outside of the entrance to his office, waiting for him to return from whatever he was doing.

Remus had been pestering her about talking to James ever since he had been let out of the Hospital Wing. She didn't want to tell him though. She was afraid and then she became distracted with her homework load and studying for her midterms. She wanted to speak with Dumbledore first before she said anything. She needed to know if there was a chance of her getting back home first.

Anyway, she had recently noticed something change in James and Lily's relationship. It didn't seem like a romantic change had occurred between them, but it did seem like they were getting along and that something was going on. Something had happened between them and Kat was anxious about finding out. So, she had asked Remus one day between classes and she had been informed that James had told them about his and Lily's conversation the night she had fallen asleep on him. So finding that out, she knew for sure now that James did share _everything _with his three best friends. Lovely.

Also over the past week, the latest buzz around the school was now what everyone's plans were for the holidays. Jordan and Laura were both staying at school with their boyfriends and Renee and all of the Marauders were going home to their families, Sirius going home with James of course. She didn't really understand why everyone was leaving. She thought that being their last year at Hogwarts, they would want to stay as long as they could. Either way, that meant that Katharine would basically be alone most of the time at Hogwarts, which she was alright with her, she supposed. It probably was a good thing anyway, that way she could find more Horcruxes with Dumbledore.

Lost in deep thought, she hadn't noticed Dumbledore walking towards her until he had spoken.

"Good evening, Katharine, may I ask what's troubling you?" He had a hint of amusement in his tone as he gestured towards her tapping foot and crossed arms.

She quickly recoiled and looked up at him. "Yes sir, I- uh- need some advice..."

"Well, I would be pleased to assist you." He gave the password and proceeded up the moving staircase. Katharine quickly followed as he continued speaking, "It's good timing because there is something we need to discuss."

Katharine followed him to his desk as he sat in his chair and she sat in the one opposite him, as always.

"Now, how may I help you?"

"Uh, maybe you should go first..." She said, possibly procrastinating.

"Nonsense," he said as he extended his hand towards her, urging her to proceed.

"Well, um, this might be a bit awkward for you... But I don't really know who else to talk to about this... Okay, I'll just say it." She inhaled slowly and then spat it out in one breath, "I think I'm in love with James Potter and I think he loves me back and this is just terrible because he's supposed to be with Lily and if I am with him he won't have Harry and if he doesn't have Harry it could change the future entirely and then I thought, 'what if I just like James because he's so much like Harry?' but maybe it's not like that and-" She inhaled sharply and clutched her chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to rush it like that... I'm just so con- are you laughing?" Dumbledore had a small smile forming at the corners of his lips and he attempted to cover it up.

"No, no... I- okay, yes I'm sorry, I may have chuckled slightly." He leaned back and sighed, "Oh, to be young and in love again."

"Excuse you? This isn't funny. This is really upsetting me. Remus keeps saying that I am here for a reason, to be with James and that that's the only explanation for us liking each other so much. Whatever, I just don't know and I thought you would help me instead of make fun of me."

"I apologize, I did not mean to laugh at you. I just believe you have over thought this greatly." He still had a small smirk on his aged face.

"How could I over think this? I have a lot to consider since I'm not actually from this time and I practically hold the future in my hands."

"I don't think you will have to hold the future in your hands any longer."

Katharine cocked her head to the side, "What does that mean?"

"Katharine, I think it's time for me to finally tell you... That... I am not sure if I can get you back to your time." He watched her intently as she sat emotionless across from him.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "What does 'not sure' mean?"

"I believe there isn't any kind of way to get you back. You came here by a Time Turner, and when using a Time Turner, time must play catch up in order for you to return back to the present. However, if it hadn't been destroyed, it _might_ have been able to get you back-"

"So can't I just get another Time Turner then?"

"No, you may only move through time by the same Turner you had used."

"You can't be serious," she said.

He frowned from under his snowy beard.

Kat wasn't about to give up. "So isn't there some kind of potion we could make? Some kind of spell? Anything?"

"Nothing like that exists, dear, you know that."

"But you just can't give up like this!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'm not giving up. This all leads me to believe that you truly are here for a reason. You're here to begin a new life. You're here to change the future for everyone. And defeating Voldemort is just the beginning!"

"No, no, no... No..." She said and repeatedly shook her head from side to side and covered her ears. "I don't believe you!" She shouted. "I can't believe you! I can't..."

Dumbledore quickly got up and strode over to her. He scooted her chair around and knelt before her, taking both of her hands in his and spoke soothingly to her, "Katharine, listen to me." She slowly looked up at him. "This was supposed to happen. You were _born_ to do this. Your Time Turner was destroyed for a reason, so that you wouldn't be able to go back... Because you're not supposed to. Think about it for a second... You have nothing to go back to. You have no family back home. You belong _here _now."

"But I do have something to go back to. I have my friends- I have Harry, and Ron and his family, and Hermione..."

He spoke thoughtfully, "But do you really? Is that really enough to go back to? No one can recover from what you have lost, Katharine..."

"But I _have_ recovered... This makes no sense to me, Dumbledore." She took her hands back. "Why was I born the year I was if I'm just supposed to destroy Voldemort in _this_ time? Why wasn't I born seventeen years ago in THIS era?"

"Because you wouldn't be related to me then, Katharine. Only _you_ can do this because you're a part of me. You _will_ be more powerful than me one day... You will understand soon enough."

"What? No, I need to understand now!"

Surprisingly, Dumbledore smiled again.

"What?" She was becoming slightly irritated at his strange humor with all of this.

He gave a heavy sigh and said, "You truly do remind me of someone."

"Who?"

"Me."

He smiled at her and stood up, but didn't go back to his chair. Instead, he pulled her up with surprising strength once again and embraced her in a tight hug.

But she didn't cry. Why wasn't she crying like she always did when someone hugged her like this? She felt like her world had just fallen through the cracks of an earth quake and yet, she didn't cry.

She let go and looked up at him. "This is it, isn't it? It's for sure... I can't go back..."

"Yes, my dear, this is it." He beamed down at her.

"Then what... What's going to happen to me in the future? What happens to my family? I mean, I know they'll obviously be alive once we get rid of Voldemort, but will I be born again or what? How does that work?"

He spoke serenely, "I believe... You will simply not exist in that time. Your family may never even have a child again... And if so, they will not be magical. That was only given to you." He grinned down at her.

"But... I was a twin..."

"You were?" His blue eyes bulged.

She chuckled softly without humor, "Yep, had a brother... I guess he wouldn't be born then since we were born together, huh?"

He lifted his eyebrows and spoke seriously, "You want the truth from me?"

She nodded vigorously, "Of course. Always."

"I believe my daughter may never bear a child. We will have damaged time so greatly, that we are completely rewriting it... If I may think logically, they will try to have a child, but it just won't happen because you are here. And seeing that your brother is your twin, yes, I doubt that he will exist either." He shook his head disappointingly, "Again... Time is thoroughly confusing."

"You can say that again." She sighed. "So, what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what am I supposed to do now?"

"You're supposed to start fresh. This is your home now. You are to rewrite the future. Live life the way you want. _Be_ _with the people you want,_" he emphasized.

"I can't do that..."

"Yes you can, my dear. Look at you. Look at how strong you are. You can get through this."

"I still don't understand how this is possible..."

"Mmm, neither do I. But I think we will understand it more as we move on."

"I hope you see that I obviously have a lot of faith in you and I trust that you are right about this." She was shocked at how calm she was.

"Yes, I do realize this and I appreciate your trust."

"So... What do I do about James then?"

"I can't tell you what to do about him, Katharine. You will have to decide that for yourself." He walked back around his desk and sat in his chair.

"You mean I must decide if I want to let Harry live or not," Katharine paraphrased, sitting back down in her chair.

Before he could answer, there was a light knock on the door.

"Hold that thought, dear." He said to her and then said more loudly, "Come in."

As she turned around to see who was coming in, her heart skipped a beat when she saw James standing in the doorway.

"Hello Professor- oh! Hi Kat! I didn't know you were here." He strode over to her as she involuntarily jumped out of her chair.

"What are you doing here?" She exclaimed, completely wide eyed.

He answered her with his lopsided grin, "Well, I have to speak with Dumbledore. Why else would I be here?"

She glared and looked around to Dumbledore, whom was beaming uncontrollably. She knew he was thinking something along the lines of 'teenage love.'

"So, how may I help you, Mr. Potter?"

"Well, it's actually great that Katharine's here because it involves her." James cocked his head in her direction and grinned widely at her bewildered expression.

"Oh? How so?" Dumbledore asked as he leaned his elbows on his desk.

"I wanted to ask for your permission to let Katharine come with Sirius and I to my house over the holiday break. Seeing that she's not really from here and is basically under your supervision, I knew that I should talk to you."

What? Did she just hear him right?

"Uh, hang on. Shouldn't you have run this by ME first, maybe?" Kat snapped at him before Dumbledore could answer.

James merely glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmm... Well," Dumbledore paused and glanced over at Katharine, whom begged him with her eyes to not allow this, "I see nothing wrong with that." Katharine's mouth dropped. "A little break might do this poor girl some good."

"WHAT? You- you can't be serious? Sir, shouldn't I stay here with you and help you with the- things?" Katharine felt like beating James up right about now.

"Oh no, that can wait til after the holiday." He beamed at her widely, bumping his spectacles up slightly.

"Thank you so much, sir. I think she will have a great time." James grabbed Katharine's hand and was about to drag her out of the office before she yanked it back and stood her ground.

"Sir, this is totally inappropriate. Me going alone with two rowdy boys on a mini vacation? I urge you to rethink this!"

"Well, due to the previous circumstances you and I have just discussed, I don't see the harm in it any longer. So go, Katharine, have fun. And enjoy the rest of your evening." He stood up and ushered them out of his office. Katharine continued to protest, but Dumbledore merely ignored her and pushed her and James out the door.

"Oh my _gosh_, how rude!" She exclaimed to the closed door. She heard Dumbledore chuckle from inside and she rolled her eyes. What was that old man thinking?

"Oh, come on baby, it'll be fun! It's not like you said no anyway." James winked at her and wrapped his arm around her waste and pulled her close.

Katharine was about to turn on him again when she looked at him, but then her heart melted as their eyes met. She couldn't keep the wall up any longer.

"James... There's something I have to tell you."

He changed his expression immediately. "Is everything okay?"

"Well... Yeah, everything's okay. Come on, lets go somewhere alone so we can talk."

* * *

**A/N: **Okay! So there it is, Katharine can't go back home. I'm not so sure if I like how I explained this, so I would really like some feedback. Tell me what you think of it and if you like it or if I should rewrite it. I'd really like some advise, please! Thank you!


	18. Finally

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**A/N: **Thank you SOOOOOO much for all the reviews! I'm sorry I don't update quickly, I'm starting nursing school and it's stressful trying to prepare for it. I'm trying to get this done before school even starts though... Also, like I said on my profile, once I finish this story, I plan on going back and revising the first few chapters. Especially the first because it's just awful. lol Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 18**

**Finally**

A few days ago, Katharine had informed James that she would not be able to return home.

A few days ago, James found hope again.

He was elated that she couldn't go home. Even though she had seemed very sad about it at first, she seemed to slowly accept it more everyday and he knew that there was once again hope that he could have her.

He was so happy that he just couldn't keep it in any longer. He had run off to tell the other Marauders immediately and they had to admit that they were possibly just as happy, mainly because they wouldn't have to hear him complain about it anymore. And now he was even more ecstatic that he would be able to bring her home to his parents. They would love her, he just knew it. Life just couldn't get any better than this.

It was now the beginning of December and it was already bringing the snow along with it. James sat on the windowsill in his dorm room and gazed out onto the dark grounds. There was a transparent film of snow on the ground, but it didn't look like it would stay there for very long. It wasn't quite cold enough for thick snow yet.

James sighed and leaned back against the cold stone. Even though he was extremely happy, his anxiousness was keeping him from sleeping. He looked down at his watch- it was almost two in the morning. Jeez, if he wasn't sleepy by now, there was no way he would get to sleep tonight... He wondered what Katharine was doing. He wondered if she was just as happy of the possibility of being with him and he wondered if she was able to sleep either... Then an idea came to him and his heart raced rapidly; he lived for spur of the moment decisions.

He quickly hopped off the windowsill and changed into some robes and boots. He grabbed his broomstick, wand, Map, and Invisibility Cloak and raced out the door towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

He arrived at the Fat Lady, whom was snoring softly in her chair. He hated to wake her, knowing that she would be in a bad mood afterwards. But he had to, he had to see Katharine.

He tapped on her portrait lightly and she stirred a little, "Excuse me, I'm sorry to wake you, but I have to get in, please... Wattlebird."

Apparently the Fat Lady wasn't in the mood to talk (thank goodness). She just gave James the stink eye and swung open.

He raced inside and stood at the bottom of the girl's dormitory staircase.

"Well, it's worth a shot," he thought out loud. He took out his wand and whispered, "_Lumos_," and shined the light up the dark staircase.

He then mounted his broom and pushed off lightly. He hovered in the air for a moment, then leaned forward and moved up the stairwell. He was afraid that some kind of invisible force would smack him in the face, but nothing came. The staircase didn't turn into a slide and he simply flew up to the top and down the hallway to the door with Katharine's name shining on it.

Hesitantly, he dismounted his broomstick and waited again for some other spell to scream at him or sound some alarm. But nothing came. He punched the air in excitement and congratulated himself for thinking of a way to get into the girl's dormitory.

He leaned his broomstick against the wall and threw on his Invisibility Cloak. He took a deep breath, thought _"Nox,"_ as his wand light went out, and opened the door ever so quietly.

The room was completely dark and he couldn't make out anything. He stood in the doorway for a second to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Finally, his eyes could make out shapes and thank goodness, because if he had stepped any further, he would have trampled over clothes and other things scattered all over the floor that he knew he would rather not discover.

He peeked into the first bed on the right and wouldn't you know, she was in the first bed he checked. She looked so peaceful with her hair all fanned out across her pillow and her covers halfway off of her.

He paused for a moment at her bedside... Maybe he should have thought this through more of how he should wake her without scaring her. Then he thought of it- he would just use a silencing spell over them.

_Duh, James. You're a wizard. You should think of using magic first,_ he thought.

So he placed a silencing charm around them and lightly stroked her cheek.

She didn't budge.

James grinned and tapped her cheek a little harder. Still didn't budge. Then he poked her side, her shoulder, tugged on her hair- still no movement. He huffed. What in the world was her problem?

He stood by her once more and crossed his arms, thinking of how else he could go about this without frightening her. Finally, he resolved with the last thing he could think of. He bent down over her and whispered her name in her ear and kissed her cheek softly.

Immediately she gasped and shot up in bed, heading butting James perfectly in the forehead/nose area.

"Oooooow..." he moaned and rubbed his forehead.

Katharine was sitting straight up in bed, wand in hand and pointing right at him, as if it hadn't even hurt her when their heads collided. He then knew right away that she had used the revealing charm on him as she was staring right at what would have been his eyes.

"James? Is that really you?" She whispered.

He slipped off the Cloak and she gasped.

"Bloody hell!" She hissed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?- pardon my language."

He laughed and sat on the side of her bed, paying no attention to how loud he was being. He waved off her gesture as she held her finger to her lips to silence him.

"Don't worry, I put a silencing charm up. You're very difficult to wake, you know that?" He chuckled.

She spoke normally again, "Why the hell are you here? How did you get in here?" She paused and added as if she had just now noticed, "Did you kiss my cheek?" She touched her cheek thoughtfully.

He grinned, "Yeah I did. I didn't know how else to wake you. My last resort was to shake you or maybe even pour water on you, but that didn't seem like such a good idea."

"Oh, thank you. How kind." She said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her... Um, quite perky chest, now that he noticed...

Well, he was a _guy _after all.

"And well, I- uh- I couldn't sleep."

"So you think that's a good reason to come wake me too?" She cocked an eyebrow.

He smiled, "That's not the only reason."

"Then why are you here?" She was eyeing him skeptically.

"I thought you might enjoy starting your Animagus lessons tonight."

"_Tonight_? Seriously? James, I'm sorry you can't sleep, but that doesn't mean I can't-"

"Please, Katharine?" He attempted to pout in the dark and he hoped she could see it.

After having no reply for a couple seconds, he peeked up from under his bangs and saw that she was staring at him incredulously. He knew he had her once again.

"Fine. Let me get some robes on."

"Yes!" He cheered. "I'll meet you in the Common Room." With that, he threw on his Invisibility Cloak and tiptoed back into the hallway.

* * *

Katharine stared after James for a moment before changing.

What in the world was wrong with this boy? He was so... Spontaneous? No, that wasn't really the word for him. Okay, there probably wasn't any word that could describe this crazy boy that she was in love with.

Yes, finally she completely admitted it to herself and everyone around her that she was in love with him. And she was _happy_. Sure, reality still hadn't quite hit her that she couldn't return home, but for now, she was okay with it... She'd have to be.

There was still one problem though: She still loved Harry and she still had not told James. At first, she thought it could possibly be just the _thought_ of loving Harry that was stopping her... But now, she realized that she loved Harry too much to just end his life... He was a good person. What kind of person would she be to stop that? Dumbledore swears that she is to change the future, to be with James, but why would fate want him to be replaced? Why would someone be born in the first place only to not be born again the second time around? Her head was spinning from all of this drama. She was so close to just running away and living in a cave for the rest of her miserable, pathetic life.

But, she couldn't stop herself tonight. James' excitement had rubbed off on her and now she really _did_ want to start her Animagus lessons.

So she fumbled around and grabbed her robes, scarf, and boots, and tiptoed to the bathroom. On her way, she peaked out the window and saw new snow flurries falling from the sky, but they didn't appear to be sticking too badly. She loved the cold weather, so it wouldn't bother her too much.

Once finished, she tiptoed as quietly as possible, praying that she wouldn't wake anyone. She didn't want to have to explain that she was sneaking out with the popular Potter at two in the morning. Still, the thought made her snicker.

After she shut her dorm door quietly, she broke out into a speedy walk, skipping steps on her way down the spiral stairs. She hopped down the last two steps and looked up to see James leaning on his broomstick in the middle of the room with an adorable grin on his face.

"Ah, so I see _that's_ how you managed to sneak into the girls dorm," she said as she approached him.

"Yup. Not as dumb as I look, huh?" He chuckled and reached for her hand.

She stepped back though. "I never said you were dumb..."

"I- Kat I didn't mean that you had said it. It was a joke, come on. Laugh a little."

"Sorry... But you will for sure _never_ look dumb to me." And for the first time, she voluntarily reached and intertwined her fingers with his.

And she could tell instantly that this surprised him. He watched her with his mouth hung open slightly, and then quickly turned it into a grin.

"Well, um, okay shall we go?"

"Yes, lets go." And she helped him with her free hand as they wrapped the Invisibility Cloak around themselves. They slipped out of the portrait hole and made their way down the corridor.

"So, where are we going to do this?" Kat whispered.

"I was thinking the Forest? We don't want to be seen and we won't be able to keep the Cloak on the whole time."

"Okay."

Taking short cuts everywhere and checking James' Map periodically for any teachers or Filch, they finally reached the exit to the courtyard and the Grounds.

And it was cold. Not terribly cold, but cold enough to make Kat shiver, even with her robe, scarf, and the Cloak.

"You alright? Is it too cold?" James asked concernedly.

"No, no. It's fine. I like the cold, I just get cold easily..."

He chuckled, "You're an interesting lady."

"Thanks?" She said awkwardly.

They walked across the Grounds in silence, hand in hand, and simply enjoying each other's company...

Until something felt wrong in the atmosphere. Kat couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew that it was weighing heavy on her. The air felt... Frightening... She sensed that something was _changing_... Where had this come from so suddenly?

It hit her more forcefully by the second... Until it was practically unbearable.

"Stop!" She exclaimed breathlessly.

James came to a halt and was watching her with bulging eyes.

It wouldn't leave! She had the urge to shake herself off, to get whatever this weight was off of her shoulders... It just felt... As if something in the magical world was growing stronger...

She ignored the urge and attempted to compose herself and tune in on her surroundings...

"James... Do you feel that?" She whispered more quietly now. She didn't really expect him to understand her, but once again, this boy surprised her.

"Yes, I was just about to ask you the same even before you cried out..." He whispered back. "Something just feels... Off... Maybe we should go back."

They were frozen under the Cloak near the edge of the Forest; Hagrid's Hut was in plain sight. Kat didn't want to go back, though. The feeling she was having didn't feel like they were in danger right _now_, but it did feel like something was about to change and she had this inkling feeling that she had to finish off the Horcruxes with Dumbledore.

"No... I think we're fine, it just... It feels like something's changing..."

"What do you mean?"

"Something's telling me that it's Voldemort."

Apparently her saying this amused James.

"What in the world are you laughing at?" She snapped at him.

He cleared his throat quickly, "And you say you don't have any bit of Dumbledore in you."

"I don't!"

"Kat, clearly you do. You can sense dark forces approaching and-"

"You felt it too!"

"But not that it was about You Know Who."

She turned away from him, "No, it's just that I... I've felt it before..." She shuttered at the memory of fourth year... After the graveyard... After fifth year at the Ministry of Magic...

"What does it mean?" His worried eyes searched her.

"I think the only thing it could mean..." She paused and took a deep breath, "Is that he's rising to power and collecting his Death Eaters." She then sighed, "But there's nothing we can do about it right now."

"Does this have to do with the Horcruxes you accidentally mentioned?" James smirked.

Katharine smiled up at him, "Well, I guess you really aren't as dumb as you look."

They busted out laughing and then quickly shut up, peering around the Grounds for anything or anyone in sight.

"Maybe we should go inside now," Kat said, pointing towards the Forest. He nodded and they proceeded forward.

"Hopefully we won't run into any creatures tonight," James said.

"I don't know, I wouldn't mind running into a unicorn," Kat mused.

"Hmm. That's true, I've never seen one before."

"You've never seen one before? Did you not learn about them your fourth year?"

"Well, yeah but we didn't get to see them," he slumped.

"Aw, that's a shame. Hagrid was my Care of Magical Creatures teacher my fourth year and he took us into the Forest and we actually got to meet them. They're pretty gentle, least with me they were... I think I have some sort of affinity with horses." She chuckled.

"Hagrid was your teacher at one point?"

"Mhmm."

"Well, that's cool. I love that bloke."

She laughed, "Yeah, I like him too... I should visit him. I promised I would and still haven't..."

They walked on a little further until they came to a small thinning in the trees.

"I think this will be a nice spot," he said as he slid the Cloak off of them.

Katharine stood still and practically gawked as James stuffed the Cloak into his pocket... She had to admit he looked extremely adorable all rosy cheeked with his hair ruffled and his scarf wrapped nearly up to his ears.

He cleared his throat and snapped her out of her gaze. Damn, he had caught her staring again.

He watched her with one eyebrow arched high and said, "Well, whenever you're able to focus, we may start."

Kat laughed awkwardly and looked away.

"So," James said as he clapped his hands together, "you said that you can produce a patronus, right?"

"Uh, yes."

"Well, I'm thinking this might be along the lines of that... What is your patronus?"

"It's a horse..."

He snickered, "Of course it is."

She smiled and shrugged.

"Well, you most likely will turn into a horse then."

Then she interrupted, "So what will happen to my clothes?"

"Well, I doubt you'll be anywhere close to changing tonight, but you either have to enchant your clothes before hand, or _really_ concentrate on transforming _with_ your clothes on and then concentrate on your clothes when you're transforming back."

"And if I don't do either?"

"Well, you know..." He flushed slightly and grinned lopsidedly.

She huffed, "I see..."

"So, first we shall practice using your wand and saying the incantation. But eventually, you will be able to transform without your wand or even thinking the incantation."

"So remind me why this is so difficult and possibly dangerous?"

"Because it is very hard to retain your human mental capacities while in animal form. You could change and then have no recollection of being a human, and therefore never change back... But those are severe cases."

"Lovely!" Kat exclaimed. "So, how do I begin?"

James grinned at her excitement and rushed on.

"Okay, so the incantation is _Animago Transformatium_-"

"Seriously?" Kat inturrupted.

"Yes-"

"That's quite a mouth full."

"I _know. _Would you like me to finish or not?" His facial expression seemed irritated, but he couldn't hide the amusement in his tone.

"Oh, yes. Do carry on, please," she smirked.

"So, upon _saying_ the incantation, you must really think about becoming _one_ with the animal you are to transform into... It will be easier for you since you already have an idea of what your animal form might be, but for ones who don't know, they must really think about escaping the world... Truly understand what it might feel like to live on this earth in another form..." He spoke thoughtfully as he explained.

Kat paused for a minute, expecting him to say more. When he simply stared back, she spoke, "So that's it? I just have to _think _about turning into a horse?"

"It's much more difficult than it sounds. You have to think about what it's _like _to be a horse... For instance, what I thought about was what it would be like to fight, seeing as stags fight for dominance, it kinda fits perfectly now... And see, that was when I didn't know I would become a stag... But, I wanted to become something strong and powerful."

Katharine shook her head, "Yeah, I am so not following you, James..."

"Well, I told you I'm no good at this!" He threw his hands up exasperatedly.

"No, you're fine, I'm just dumb." She cleared her throat. "Okay well, guess I'll give it a go then."

She pulled out her wand and closed her eyes. She tried to think about horses- something she truly did love. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved everything about them... Their beauty, their loyalty, even their stubbornness... She thought about how she loved to ride. The exhilaration she would feel to gallop in an open field... Almost as if you were flying... Even though now she truly knew what it felt like to fly, when she was merely a muggle, she didn't know what it was like to fly... She remembered what it was like to become "one" when she fell into stride with the horse, moving rhythmically with every leap it took...

"Okay, "she whispered to James, still keeping her eyes tightly shut, "I'm ready."

"Just say the incantation," he instructed.

"_Animago Transformatium!_" She said, but apparently that wasn't right. A sudden electrical shock crashed down over her body and she was knocked onto her knees.

"Kat! Are you alright?" James was there instantly holding her.

"Ugh- fine- ow..." She mumbled, rubbing her temples. "I feel like I just touched a hot wire and was shocked to kingdom come."

He laughed, "You didn't do it right."

"No shit, Sherlock!"

"No, I mean, you didn't say it with enough meaning."

"What the hell am I supposed to do? I thought about being a horse, I thought about how it felt to ride and-"

"No, sweetie. You have to think about how it feels to _be_ a horse."

"Oh, this is too damn difficult," she complained and got back up to her feet.

"Don't be so stubborn," he said as he stood in front of her again.

Kat busted out laughing.

"What?" He looked confused.

"Horses too are SO stubborn, you have no idea."

"Well, then, you were meant to be one. So shut up and do it again."

So, for several more attempts, Katharine went through beating after beating and was becoming extremely fed up with it. Her hair was standing on end, she was hot as hell in her robes, and she was sick of James laughing at her.

"Are you sure you told me everything there is to know about this?" She rounded on him after her tenth time or so.

"Yes, everything. Would you like me to demonstrate?"

"No, I don't want you to bloody show off!"

He chuckled again, "Have it your way. I told you, it takes years of practice."

"I know... I'm just impatient..." She closed her eyes again.

"Apparently..." He mumbled

_Okay, _Katharine silently spoke to herself, _relax. Breathe. Just don't even think anymore. Just feel. Feel the wind in your long hair- no- mane. Feel the rush of being set free in an open field... Feel the speed that you have... The endurance that you could never achieve in human form..._

She held her wand high and firmly this time and shouted, "_Animago Transformatium!_"

Suddenly, she was standing on all four feet... No, that didn't feel right... She felt like she still only had two feet, but she wasn't quite on her hands and knees, almost as if her arms had grown level with her legs... She looked up slightly and even though she was practically on her hands and knees, she was almost eye level with James, whom she now noticed was roaring with laughter.

"What?" Katharine asked hysterically.

"You- you- you're HUGE! I mean, wider, and your arse is ginormous! Your neck is long, and you have huge ears, and your nose, can't you _see_ it? It's loooooong... Oh my gosh," he walked around her and literally stared at her apparently huge butt, "you have a tail, holy shit!" And he was overcome by another fit of annoying laughter.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about, James? Did it work? I don't feel right..." She looked down at what should be her hands- or hooves. Instead, it sickeningly looked like her fingers were scrunched together and attempted to form a hoof, but didn't quite make it.

"Well, you made it halfway surprisingly, which I didn't know was even possible," he couldn't stop laughing.

"Oh my gosh, just get me back to normal! PLEASE!" She cried frantically.

"Don't worry, I can do it. No problem... I hope."

She watched him as he collected himself and pointed his wand towards her. Suddenly an amazingly bright blue light shot out towards her from its tip and she could feel herself shrink and lower towards the ground.

She laid there now on her side for a second, taking in her _normal_ hands and feeling that her body was back to _normal_ size.

"Oh, thank goodness," she breathed as she rolled over onto her back. "Lucky you pay attention in Transfiguration."

"You're welcome," James said sarcastically as he sat down next to her.

"I think my trousers ripped..." She said as she felt her backside and ran her hand into the gaping hole, "Yup... They split."

"Well, you didn't focus on your clothes enough," James pointed out the obvious yet again.

"I think I was a bit more preoccupied with changing into a bloody horse than worrying about my clothes, James!"

He laughed again and leaned back to lay beside her.

"I think I'm done for the night... Morning... Whatever, I just know I'm bloody tired," Kat sighed as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"That's okay. You did great. I can't believe how well you did actually..." He said as he placed his hands behind his head. Katharine mimicked him and gazed up at the dark blue sky peaking through the trees.

"Well, like _you _said, I have some of Dumbledore in me," she joked.

"Yeah, yeah. Who's the show off now."

She chuckled and then shivered. Now that she was winding down, she was getting cold again.

James seemed to notice and he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "Come here, I'll warm you up."

Katharine knew they should probably be heading back now, but she couldn't help herself. She curled in to him as he wrapped his robe around the two of them like a blanket.

"Sorry if I smell like arse," she apologized.

He snickered, "You could never smell bad to me, babe."

She swallowed the butterflies back down into her stomach. "Um, thanks... You too." Really? She mentally slapped herself for her ridiculous compliment.

"Kat, lets just be honest with each other now, okay?" He had been looking up at the sky, but he now leaned back slightly to look her right in the eyes. Their faces had never been so close for this amount of time before.

"O-okay..." She stuttered.

"You know I'm crazy about you..." He pulled his hand out from under the robe and tucked her hair behind her ear, which sent shivers down her spine, "And I know you're crazy about me..." He then rested his palm against her now scalding cheek again, "You're all I think about and I don't ever want that to change... I want you in my life forever, and now that you're here to stay, I don't see why that can't happen..."

"You're right..." Was all she could say.

"Am I? Do you really feel the same?"

"Yes, I do..."

"I just know we're perfect for each other, Katharine."

She couldn't breathe anymore. "I know," she finally gusted out.

He chuckled, "I know you're the one for me too..."

"And you're the one for me..." What was she thinking? She couldn't stop!

They smiled at each other for a long moment.

"You're so amazing," he whispered.

She blurted out, "You're so wonderful."

"So can I be Mr. Wonderful?"

"Sure... If I can be Miss Amazing." She said and then bit her lip.

He snickered, "Yeah, I like that... See how perfect we are?"

"And cheesy as hell..." She grumbled.

He then leaned his face closer towards her and rested his forehead against hers. He rubbed his nose against hers, Eskimo style. She couldn't stop smiling... Her insides were screaming at her to stop, to run away, but this felt so right... It felt like she was supposed to be here... This close... With _James_ Potter.

She was now burning up again and she could feel the heat radiate from him as well. They laid with their foreheads touching for what seemed like forever, both probably thinking about the exact same thing... To say the inevitable phrase... But neither could get it out... They're breathing was uneven, but it was uneven together...

Finally he spoke, "Katharine, I-" But he seemed to have lost his voice.

She couldn't stop herself. She had to say it. She had to tell him _now_.

"I'm in love with you." Oh my, she did it. She said it and now her heart was trying to rip its way out of her chest.

James leaned away, letting the cold breeze splash across her face... She could feel his gaze on her. It took almost all of her strength to look up and meet his eyes.

He was smiling. Not a huge, teeth baring smile. Just a small, crooked smile that tilted his glasses sideways...

"Katharine, I'm in love with you too."

And suddenly, Kat couldn't remember how she had gotten there, but James' lips were pressed against hers with tremendous force that she was pushed flat onto her back with his body pressed against hers. He slipped his hand behind her neck to cradle it and the other behind the small of her back. She automatically intertwined her fingers through his long, messy hair and pulled him closer. She ignored her conscience, enjoying this way too much to stop it now. Their breathing became raspy and it was all they could hear as their lips danced together.

Eventually, they broke apart. Sweat was beading across his forehead as he gazed down at her. She could see the steam coming from both of them as they heavily breathed out into the cold air.

He stroked her hair as he breathed, "Finally."

"Finally?"

"Yes. I've wanted to snog you for a long time."

"Oh really? Is that the only reason you want me?"

"No, no, don't be like that... You're just hot. I mean, I _am_ a guy."

She rolled her eyes, "And is this how you speak to all of your women?"

"Hey," he argued, "you may be able to make fun of my manners, but you can't say that I'm not a good kisser."

"No, I can't. We will just have to work on the manners part," she smirked, "But I _can_ run faster than you." And she grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him onto his back playfully, letting her hair dangle in his face for a moment. Then she quickly hopped up and ran off into the trees, parallel to the castle.

"Hey!" He called after her, "Hide and seek is my specialty!"

She laughed as she weaved through the trees, hanging on to her pants as they were ripped and threatened to fall.

James' footsteps then became quieter and she slowed down and leaned against a tree to catch her breath...

_Wow... _She thought. _You really just did that... He was right, it finally happened... You actually kissed Harry's father..._

"Katharine Parker."

"AAAAHHHH!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped around, clutching at her chest and nearly losing her trousers.

Standing behind her had been none other than Firenze, the Centaur.

"Shhh, keep it down." He ushered as he walked up to her slowly. She unconsciously backed up into the tree again.

"How do you know my name?" She eyed him. She heard James calling for her in the distance, but didn't want to answer him just yet.

"I know everything about you, Katharine Parker, and these woods are no longer safe for you."

* * *

**A/N: **Oooooooo, cliff hanger! Haha. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know this one was my favorite so far!


	19. He Knows

******Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**A/N: Thank you for all of the lovely reviews. ****Also, sorry for the lame chapter title. **

**Chapter 19**

**He Knows**

"What do you mean these woods aren't safe for me?" Katharine asked, completely forgetting about James momentarily.

"He knows about you."

"Who?"

"The Dark Lord." He looked down at her with his arms crossed behind his bare back.

"H- how do you know this?" James was hollering hysterically for her now, but she couldn't answer him.

"My kind have heard his followers talking. We try to keep an eye on things, to protect our land... This place is changing, Miss Parker, and you must be _smart_ and get yourself out of these woods and stay in the castle. Go into hiding if you must instead of running around snogging men foolishly!"

His tone slightly startled her, but she stood her ground, "How dare you spy on me in the woods!"

"It doesn't matter now!" He exclaimed as he threw his huge arms in the air. Katharine couldn't help but flinch. He noticed this, and lowered his voice slighty, "He knows you're from the future and he knows you are related to Dumbledore and you must act _now_ before the future is changed drastically."

She shook her head. "How could he possibly know all of this? There's no way."

"If I were you, I wouldn't trust anyone except for Albus Dumbledore."

"What, you think someone is _spying_ on me?"

"Can you think of any other way the Dark Lord would find out about you?"

Before she could answer, James finally found her and stumbled to a halt at the sight of Firenze.

"What happened? Why did you scream?" He was breathing heavily as he checked Katharine up and down.

"Nothing, I'm fine. He just scared me."

"Hello, James Potter," Firenze eyed him suspiciously. Katharine knew what he was thinking.

"No, it's not James. I can tell you that _right_ _now_," she firmly defended.

"Don't be so quick to judge, Miss Parker. You can't trust anyone."

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge either!" She snapped.

"What is he talking about, Katharine?" James took her hand and turned her towards him, "What's going on?"

"Voldemort knows about me."

Suddenly his hazel eyes were wide and he got straight to the point. "What do we do?"

"Miss Parker must go to Dumbledore immediately. She must go into hiding and must never be left alone. I believe someone is spying on her."

"I'm not going into hiding. I won't let him control my life. He won't win." Kat really didn't like to be told what to do, like every other teenager.

"This isn't a matter of winning or losing. This is a matter of being smart and keeping yourself safe," Firenze glared at her, clearly annoyed at her adolescence, but she didn't care.

"Right. Let's go, Kat." James pulled out his Cloak and was about to throw it over them when she held her hand up for him to wait.

"What else does he know?" She asked Firenze.

"That is all I know, but we must expect that he knows the worst," he said.

"The worst?"

"Whatever it is that you and Dumbledore are working on."

"And do _you_ know what it is we are working on?"

"No, I do not."

"Good. Then he most likely doesn't know either." She sighed, "Thank you for informing me. I assure you I will be smart about this. Believe me, all I think about is that I might change the future. But, you must understand that I _am _here to change the future seeing that I can't go back..."

"I understand... I'm sorry to hear that you can't go back..." He bent down and extended his large hand towards her, whom shook it as firmly as she could. "Take care of yourself." With that, he stood straight up, gave a slight nod towards James, and trotted off deeper into the Forest.

"Okay, _now _we go," James ordered and threw the Cloak over the two of them and began dragging her away.

"James, don't do this," Katharine breathed.

"Do what?" He stopped and turned around under the Cloak to face her.

"Don't start treating me differently."

"You have to be more specific than that, Kat."

She bit her lip, choosing her words carefully, "Don't become extra protective of me now that I'm possibly in danger."

"I can't help it. I want you safe and inside the castle like Firenze said. And I will do whatever I have to do to keep you safe," and he began pulling her forward again.

So she decided to talk to his back instead, "I'm not afraid of Voldemort, James. And I can't have you risking your life for me... I think I should just stay here now for the holiday break."

James quickly replied, "We'll see what Dumbledore says." And they were silent the rest of the way up to Dumbledore's office.

Reality hadn't quite hit her yet... She wasn't thinking of the danger this could actually mean for her... And for her friends. She just wanted to rewind time again and go back to what had happened before she ran into Firenze...

They reached the Gargoyle at last and James quickly pulled the Cloak off. Katharine finally got a decent look at him now that the soft sunrise was slowly peering in through the windows along with the still lit lamps on the walls.

He looked pissed. His jaw was clenched, his lips were pursed tightly, and his eyes were wide with rage.

After he stuffed the Cloak in his pocket, Katharine laid her hand on his extremely tense shoulder.

"Hey, it'll be okay," she said softly.

He sighed and closed his eyes, but did not face her when he spoke. "I won't let anything happen to you, Katharine."

"Nothing's going to happen." Her voice was more shaky than she had wanted it to be.

"You don't really believe that." When she didn't reply, he opened his eyes and made sharp contact with hers. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he said and grumbled the password to the gargoyle.

Katharine followed him slowly up the staircase to the wooden door at the top. Surprising her, he intertwined his fingers with hers again and then banged on the door.

Suddenly, the knob turned and the door opened wide. They peeked their heads inside and hesitantly stepped forward into the empty room. They stood around awkwardly in silence for a minute or so.

Then Dumbledore appeared from a back room at the top of the twin staircases. They looked up to a beaming old man.

"Craving some morning fresh air, are we?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully as he descended the stairs. He was dressed in silvery night robes with a night cap.

"Yes sir, we have something to tell you," James said as he led Katharine over to him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well, if it's about why my granddaughter is holding your hand, I think I can figure that out for myself," he tilted his head down and smirked from under his spectacles.

Katharine automatically dropped his hand and placed hers behind her back.

James remained unfazed, "No Professor, this is serious."

Finally, Dumbledore's expression changed and he glanced back and forth between the two. "What's wrong?"

"Voldemort knows about Kat. Firenze told us in the Forest and he told us to come straight to you. He thinks that someone is spying on her and apparently he knows everything: that she's from the future, that you both are related, that you're planning something together-"

"How many people have you told, Katharine?" Dumbledore turned on her.

"Just the Marauders! Well, I might have told Remus a little more..." She smiled apologetically at a suspicious James.

"You must be smarter than this, Katharine!"

"I'm so sorry, Professor! I wasn't thinking... I never knew it could get so out of hand!"

"If she's only told the Marauders, sir, then I know it's not them," James said.

"Yes, but whomever is spying has been listening intently... But why?... How did Voldemort know whom to spy on?" Dumbledore said thoughtfully, stroking his chin and staring off.

"What do you mean, sir?" James asked.

"I mean to ask, first of all, why does he have spies here in Hogwarts? And secondly, what made him want to spy on _you_?" His eyes darted to Kat but his voice remained airy, "They must have begun watching you as soon as you arrived here... But no one should know outside of Hogwarts that you are here."

"But people can tell their families..." Kat explained the obvious.

"Yes, you're right... Katharine, are you absolutely sure there is no one that has seemed to linger around you more often?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, sir... I- I mean, I really don't know, honestly."

"Right, so what do we do then?" James asked irritably.

"Well, we just need to keep a close eye on her. You must be with her at all times, Mr. Potter. At _all times_. And if not you, then the other Marauders. And be watchful of who's around you."

"So should we stay here for Christmas break then?"

"Ah... That's a good question Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said softly as his eyes glazed over again. He strode over to his chair behind the desk and sat down, leaving James' question floating in the air. They stared after him completely dumbstruck. Was he always this mysterious in the mornings?

"Professor?" James asked hesitantly.

Dumbledore glanced up, his eyes unfocused for a moment, "Sorry, yes?"

"I asked if we should stay here for the holiday break instead?" James repeated.

He held his head in his hand for a moment, seeming to ponder the subject "Well, as long as you two do not talk about your plans in public, then I think it should be fine. I do believe she'll be kept in good hands with you and Mr. Black and of course your family... But listen to me carefully once more," he paused to look the two teens directly in the eye, "you can_not _talk about where you are going. If you must, simply say that you are unsure and leave it at that. This is a very serious situation and should not be taken lightly. Do you understand me?"

The two nodded their heads vigorously.

"And I want you to keep in close contact with me while you are away, yes?"

"Yes sir."

He continued, "So, moving on, would you care to tell me why you two are out this early? And how did you run into Firenze? I do wonder though why he had not told me sooner... I may have to pay him a visit..."

"Um, which would you rather us answer first?" James asked with a hint of amusement.

"The first one will do," Dumbledore answered, mimicking James' smile.

James leaned over and whispered into Kat's ear, "Should we tell him?"

She shrugged, "Might as well."

Dumbledore watched the two with a small smile.

He cleared his throat and continued, "Well, sir, I was giving Katharine Animagus lessons in the Dark Forest and that's also how we met Firenze."

"Oh, how lovely," Dumbledore sounded a bit sarcastic. "And why is this, may I ask?" He lifted one eyebrow.

"I just think it would be really neat to become one with the other Marauders and all..." Kat answered.

"Well, wouldn't we all like to become one? It is very extensive work though, and I do not encourage becoming one unregistered... It was difficult enough for me to allow you, Mr. Black, and Mr. Pettigrew..."

"Of course, sir, but she did very well actually. She transformed halfway and today was only the first time!" James said excitedly.

"Halfway?" Dumbledore sat up straight, clearly astonished. "How intriguing!"

"Well, she is related to you, Professor," James grinned.

"Shut up, Potter!" Katharine hissed.

He shrugged, "I only speak the truth."

"Well, I suggest that you two keep this quiet, as well. And please, don't leave the castle in the early hours again. Find another place somewhere _inside _the castle next time, yes?"

"Yes sir," the teens chimed.

"Right well, you best be getting ready for the day as well as I. Stay alert and I shall speak to you again before you leave," Dumbledore said, extending his hand towards the door.

"Thank you, sir. Kat?" James said as he turned around and faced the door.

"I'll be right out," she smiled at him. He nodded and she waited until he was out the door before she spoke to Dumbledore. "Sir, are you alright?"

He looked up, his head now being cradled in his hand once again. Strain was clearly visible all over his face. He must have been keeping it in while James was in the room, and was now unable to keep up the front any longer.

"Yes, my dear... I'm alright." He sighed, but then added, "I am just a little worried now."

"Worried about what?" Katharine asked as she walked over and sat on the edge of the opposite chair.

"Well, I know you do not feel quite the same as I do, but you _are_ my granddaughter and you mean much more to me than anyone I know. I want to hold on to you as long as I can... I know we are not very close, but I hope that will change one day..." He sighed heavily and stared at his desk.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. You can protect anyone and everyone just fine and we will have plenty of time to get to know each other."

He chuckled without humor, "Of course..."

"I _can_ take care of myself, though," she said.

He looked up and smiled, "And that's what worries me."

"What do you mean?"

"You have more bravery than I have ever seen in any Gryffindor, but sometimes that can get us into more trouble than good."

"I see." She of all people knew what it was like to get into trouble... On more than one occasion.

"Do not get me wrong, my dear. You are very bright, but you must keep your mind clear and focused so that you may see through the veil..."

Katharine nodded her head slowly, not quite sure of what he meant by this.

"I do not mean to tell you what to do, but I just fear that you might go down the wrong path and forget why you are here."

"You need to be more specific." Kat mentally chuckled as she repeated James' statement in the exact same tone.

"Do not forget that you have a powerful dark wizard wanting you."

"Oh right. Well, it's nothing new to me, I'm used to him."

"Katharine, do not be so casual about this, or I might just have to make you stay here for the holiday... I do not want you to lose yourself in Mr. Potter. He may seem right for you now, but being with someone is not the most important thing-"

"Are you trying to give me a 'father-daughter lecture' right now? Because if you are, I'm quite alright, thanks."

He sighed, "Yes... I'm sure you are. How silly of me."

"Why the sudden change of heart? A few days ago you were completely fine with it! You even encouraged me to '_be with the people I want_'." She made little air quotations, proving her point that he was totally okay with this the other day.

"I was never _completely_ alright with it," he narrowed his eyes.

"If you're afraid of me losing myself in James, why don't you just say that I can't go with him over the holiday and be done with it?"

"Would you really listen to me if I did?" He cocked an eyebrow upward into his night cap.

She stared back at him for a moment... No, she probably wouldn't. In fact, as much as she had been against it before, she definitely wanted to go now and it probably would make her want to go even more if Dumbledore had said no.

"No... I guess I wouldn't."

"My point exactly," he frowned.

Now was her chance. "Okay well, I guess I better go." She stood up quickly and proceeded towards the door before he could say anymore, "See you later, Professor." And she was out of his office without a second glance.

She felt awful about running off so quickly, but that's what she did best. He was bossing her around like she was some little girl- 'Don't do _this_,' and 'Don't do _that_.' It irritated her and she did not want to listen... For someone whom was used to being on her own, his rules just didn't agree with her.

* * *

The rest of the day, Katharine felt like she was in a fog and she was sure James felt the same. Having had no sleep, they were extremely tired and nearly fell asleep in every single class- 'nearly' meaning that, for example, one of the Marauder's would punch James or Renee or Laura would yank on Katharine's hair.

And yet the whole day, she couldn't help but keep one watching eye over her shoulder. She was constantly looking around and keeping a mental list of whom was around her. No one seemed suspicious... Yet.

Also throughout the day, she had been especially aware that James considered them a "couple" now and she attempted to not let that become quite so obvious to her friends. Every time he would try to hold her hand, she would quickly run her hand through her hair awkwardly and find something to keep her hands busy, like taking notes (since she should have been doing that in the first place). He never seemed to notice this, but she knew that wouldn't last for long... She just did not want the whole school to find out all at once, at least not until she was _sure_ of what she was even doing with him... Yes, she was still dealing with mixed emotions inside her ridiculous brain after reality finally hit her. "Reality" meaning, she finally faced the fact that a murderous dark wizard was spying on her and this time, it was a little more serious than it had been in _her_ time.

As they were walking out of Transfiguration, their last class for the day, Katharine rubbed her head delicately after being painfully woken for the gazillionth time that day. She quickly caught up to James (before Laura could catch a snag of her hair again), whom appeared extremely tense as he glanced left and right.

She whispered to him amongst all of the chattering as the students made their way to the Great Hall, "So have you been keeping an eye out too?"

"Yeah, just making sure no one familiar is lingering around us."

"What do you mean _familiar_?" She asked.

"You know, just seeing if anyone is following us that I don't know but have already seen them around us today."

"Makes sense... Even though you practically know everyone in the school already and you can't truthfully judge them just because you've seen them more than once today."

"Right... But I don't know what else to do." He spoke defeated.

Kat sighed, "Yeah, me neither."

They waited for the gang at the end of the corridor and everyone walked to supper together, Katharine making sure she stayed well away from the crazy-ripping-out-hair friends.

She threw her bag under the bench and took a seat between James and Remus.

Remus leaned over and whispered to her as she began scooping mashed potatoes onto her plate, "So Kat, you and James... Yeah?" He repeatedly winked and cocked his head to the side, nodding it towards James.

"James and I what, Remus?" She asked nonchalantly. "And uh, do you need some help with that twitch you've got?"

He rolled his eyes, "Come on. You know what I mean."

"Maybe," she turned back to put more on her plate and kept her nose turned up.

She then noticed across from her that Sirius was mimicking Remus' head cocking twitch, only he was watching Remus next to her and was nodding his head in her direction, clearly having some silent conversation. His eyes were squinting and his lips were pursed. She knew he was urging Remus to continue pestering her.

"Have you not told the other's yet about, you know, this morning?..." Katharine whispered to James on her right. She figured he had _at least_ told his beloved _guy_ friends about them two. She just wasn't ready for her roommates to know everything...

"Uh, no. Haven't gotten a chance... Why?" He watched her, confused.

She nodded her head towards Sirius as he was still giving Remus the death glare, but he was now thrusting a finger at the two as if they couldn't see his gestures.

"Oi! What's with the pointing?" James hollered over at his long haired friend.

Sirius' eyes popped open wide and he grinned sheepishly, "Nothing my friend. Nothing at all."

"Yeah that's right. Nothing." James rolled his eyes at Kat and continued eating.

"Wow. Good job, James. Good job." She said sarcastically, taking a bite of her roast.

He swallowed his mouth full and chuckled quietly, "We'll tell them later, alright?"

"'We?'"

"Yes, _we_." He smirked at her and she glared back.

"So Kat," Jordan exclaimed from far across the table (she clearly had been waiting for a chance to get a word in), "did you decide on what you're doing for the holiday break?"

Of course she would ask that.

James quickly looked up at Jordan, and then turned to Katharine.

"Um," she said as she tore her eyes away from James and looked back over at Jordan, which totally had not been obvious enough, "no... I dunno yet."

"Well, you can always stay here with us, you know," she said cheerfully as she stuffed her face with potatoes.

"Yeah, but you and Laura will be with your boyfriends, so I don't know. Maybe. We'll just have to see."

Jordan shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.

"So, Peter, did you get some studying done while we were in Transfiguration?" Katharine asked, trying to include him.

"Mhmm." He mumbled and didn't look up from his plate.

_So much for that,_ Katharine thought.

Then she received a light tap on her left shoulder and she turned around to meet Lily standing behind her like she had done once before.

"Hi Kat! Are you finished eating? I need a word with you..."

"Oh, uh, sure." She hadn't spoken to her in a while because of all of the studying the seventh years had. So she finished her last bite of roast, stole Remus' buttered roll and received an amusing glare from him, and stood up with her belongings in hand.

Then James grabbed her wrist as she stood up. "Wait, shouldn't I come with you?"

Katharine shook her head vigorously, knowing that Lily was probably wondering why the hell she needed James as a escort. "No, it's fine. See you later."

She quickly followed Lily out of the Great Hall, munching on her roll and feeling James' eyes burning a hole into the back of her cloak.

"What's up, Lily?" She said un-ladylike as she swallowed down the last bit of roll.

They walked over to the stairs but stopped as Lily turned around. "I need some advice..."

"Advice from me? Uhm... I'll try." She shifted the weight of her bag awkwardly on her shoulder.

"You know the first day of your classes you told me I should lighten up a little on Snape?"

"Um, yeah I guess it was something along those lines, possibly..."

"Well, the reason I've been so... Um... Rude towards him is because I don't like that he's into the Dark Arts and stuff and possibly becoming a Death Eater..."

"Uh, yeah... Right..."

"But I do have other feelings towards him." She fidgeted nervously with her fingers and was anxiously looking around as if worried someone would hear her.

"Lily... Are you trying to tell me what I think you're trying to tell me?" Kat couldn't help but smirk.

"Yes! I think I still like Severus..."

"Um, 'still'?"

"We were best friends up until fifth year... So yeah, I did kinda like him from the start... I just can't help myself. I know there is still some good in him."

"Wow..."

"Wow what?" She sounded offended.

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything wrong by that... Um, I just don't understand what you're asking of me?"

"I don't really either... I just kinda feel like I can talk to you about this much easier than I can with my other friends."

"Well, I'm glad I can help somehow but I'm not really sure what to tell you..." She bit her lip. Was she finally starting to change the future this drastically? Just by one kiss?

"I don't know... Maybe you and I could like, try to talk him out of the Dark Arts?"

Kat laughed humorlessly, remembering how Snape was in her time, "That's very unlikely, Lily. I don't think you can just, turn someone good when they've already turned bad."

"Why do you say that? He's not all bad yet."

"Um... I don't know. Never mind, I don't know what I'm talking about." She proceeded up the stairs as Lily followed her.

"No, please don't be like that. I think you do know what you're talking about, that's why I'm asking for your help. That day in potions, Snape was _nice _to you and he doesn't even know you. I think you can help me... Pretty please?"

She stopped and stared dumbly at Lily when she took both of her hands in hers and practically begged without getting down on her knees.

Katharine answered defeated and knew she was going to regret it immediately, "Alright... I don't understand what you want me to do exactly, but I'll help you."


	20. Love Life

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that is owned by someone else that I put into this story.

**Chapter 20**

**Love Life**

That evening after their conversation, Katharine and Lily went to the Library to study for their midterms (and possibly more so that Kat could get away from the new-overprotective-James). Unfortunately, he found the two of them eventually and Katharine was no where near pleased by his presence.

Paying no attention to their books sprawled out across the table, he sat in the chair next to Kat and plopped his elbow on her Potion's notes and held his jaw in his hand.

She irritably raised an eyebrow at him, "Can I help you?"

"Yes." He lowered his voice so that Lily wouldn't hear, "First off, you can't run off like that anymore without one of _us_ with you. Got that?" Katharine frowned. "And second, it's time to go speak to them," he grinned at her mischievously from under his bangs.

"Excuse you, but you don't own me and therefore, you can't order me around," she growled as she shoved his arm off of her notes, making him nearly smack his chin on the table. She noticed Lily stiffen slightly in her seat from across the table.

"Damn, Kat, a break won't hurt that snippy attitude of yours."

"Watch yourself, Potter," Lily warned.

He ignored her. "Take a break," he said firmly, staring right into Kat's eyes.

She didn't falter. "I don't need a break. I'm busy so run off and leave me alone," she said as she turned back to her notes.

James leaned towards her and whispered in her ear so that Lily wouldn't hear, "Why are you so upset? What happened?"

Katharine sighed and subconsciously glanced over at Snape whom was sitting in a corner across the Library. She had been glancing over at him periodically, hopefully without him noticing, and wondering how the hell she was supposed to "talk him out of the Dark Arts." She really didn't want to help Lily, because that would mean that she was_ for sure_ "killing Harry." But then again, she was already doing that with James...

Thanks to that unbelievable snogging session, she was confused all over again and was not in the mood to deal with James. So, not wanting to tell him what really was wrong with her, she looked back over at him and said, "Nothing. I'm just stressed, I guess... I'm sorry."

James frowned, "It's alright."

Why had she kissed him? Why was she trying to make things worse for herself? She never learned from her mistakes... Now she was stuck between James and Harry again... James- whom she was completely in love with right now- and Harry, whom she no longer was in love with, but she loved him enough that it would completely ruin her life knowing that a wonderful man could have been born... She hated herself now more than ever.

She hadn't realized that she'd zoned out and had been staring blankly ahead until Lily spoke.

"Kat, maybe you _should_ take a break..." She said softly, "You've done enough for the night."

She looked up and could see the worry in Lily and James' expressions. She sighed.

"Okay," she said and slowly put her things in her bag. She could feel that James and Lily were having a silent conversation as she kept her head down, but she really didn't care anymore.

James then cleared his throat and stood up, "I've got that, babe." He took her bag from her and headed for the exit. Kat gave Lily a small smile before following him out into the corridor.

"Come on, sweetie, the Marauders ought to cheer you up." He took her hand and led her all the way to the fifth floor corridor. He pulled her into a broom closet and shut the door behind her quietly.

Kat looked around the small closet, knowing the place all too well. She and Harry used to sneak off to this spot their sixth year, once they had discovered it with the Marauder's Map, of course. At the end of the closet beyond the stone wall, there would be a small lounge. You'd never find it on your own unless you were _truly_ looking for it and walked all the way to the back of the closet. The fissure in the wall had been so small, that if Kat's booty had become any larger, she wouldn't be able to squeeze through. It had been small and cozy, perfect for being alone and cuddling... And yes, snogging...

Her heart ached at the memory.

"You're probably wondering where the hell I'm taking you," James whispered to her with a smirk, pulling her out of her daydream of her current boyfriend's son, the other current/past/future/ex-boyfriend... Lord help her.

She simply smiled and shrugged in response.

They squeezed past the brooms and buckets and all of the other junk that had been thrown all over the floor. They made it to the back of the closet, now ducking their heads as the ceiling lowered. James pulled the drape aside that hung across the whole three foot width stone wall, and revealed the small crack with barely a ray of light peaking through.

"After you," he directed, holding his hand out. Kat stepped forward, turned sideways, and slipped between the crack.

"Ugh, _finally_," Sirius groaned from the couch as she stepped down the couple of steps into the room and was now able to stand straight up. The room was decorated in soft greens and blues and was lit by a very small fireplace (where the other end of the chimney was, Kat didn't know) and some lanterns on the wall. She was reminded again why she had always thought this room was so romantic in her time.

Remus and Peter were sitting in the two chairs across from Sirius, whom was too long for the sofa and was sprawled out across it with his feet hanging off the other armrest.

"Sorry for the wait, Marauders, but we finally have some news to share with you," James said proudly as he joined Kat at the edge of the blue and green rug across from the fireplace. The Marauders looked at the two, waiting.

James held his and Kat's intertwined hands up and said, "Well firstly, Katharine and I are together!"

All three Marauders simply blinked back, completely unfazed.

"I was expecting a _bit_ more of a reaction..." he growled.

Sirius sat up on the couch and raised an eyebrow, "And what were you expecting, mate? Us to jump up and cheer for you two?"

"Yeah, we kinda already saw this coming," Peter grumbled.

Katharine looked over at Remus, whom was smirking lopsidedly at her. She rolled her eyes, clearly receiving his unspoken "_I knew it_."

"I don't know... Maybe a pat on the back and a possible_ 'well done, mate'_?"

"Oh get over it, Prongs," Remus said, pressing his face back into his book he had been reading.

Sirius stood and walked over to James, "Alright, if that's what you want..." He held a fist up to cover his mouth as he cleared his throat theatrically, "Right. Well done, mate!" He said a little too excitedly and clapped a hand a little too roughly against James' back.

Suddenly, James let go of her hand and tackled an unsuspecting Sirius. They fell hard to the floor and began wrestling. Katharine rolled her eyes again and nonchalantly stepped over the two bodies and sat down on the edge of the couch.

She felt Peter staring at her and she looked over at him, "You okay, Pete?"

He quickly recoiled and looked away, "Yeah, fine."

Kat screwed up her face in thought... He had been acting a bit off lately...

Finally, Sirius put James in a choke lock and James had nothing else to do but to tap out before he choked to death. Sirius hopped up and held his arms up in the air, proud of his victory. Kat couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the awful defeated look James wore as he slowly climbed to his feet... Then she realized how foreign her laugh sounded and she quickly became silent.

James sat down on the couch next to her and hung his head.

"Oh cheer up. It's not your fault Sirius is an oaf," she said.

"I am not an oaf. I'm just a little larger than the average bloke."

"So, what's the official plan for everyone for holiday break then?" Peter chimed in.

"I've got to visit my fam," Remus sighed.

"The three of us I believe are still going to Prongs' house. Right, mate?" Sirius asked.

"Yep. We'll have to find something to keep ourselves occupied there. It gets a bit boring at my mum and dad's." He leaned towards Kat and added, "They're a bit... _Seasoned_."

Kat replied an airy, "Ah."

"Well, you know what I'll be doing most of the time while we're there," Sirius said to James.

"Uh, no?"

"Renee lives close by your parents now, James! I told you that!"

"Oh, right... I still can't believe that you two are still together... Isn't this the longest relationship you've been in?" James asked as he leaned his head against Katharine's shoulder.

"Yup. And we're still... Exploring." Sirius smirked like crazy, making it very clear that his comment meant something more.

There was a short pause between everyone... All the while as Katharine was strategically studying Sirius' face.

"You're shagging her aren't you," she stated the obvious.

Sirius' head whipped around and his eyes were wide, but he couldn't stop the smile that quickly spread across his face.

"Merlin, Sirius! Bloody hell! Why is this the first time I'm hearing this?" James roared.

Suddenly, Remus was running towards Sirius as if he were running from a burning building. The werewolf in him must give him incredible strength, because the scrawny man collided with Sirius so hard, that he made the couch flip backwards and the four of them went flying into the other wall. It happened too quickly for Katharine to scream before she smacked her head against the stone wall.

Peter was laughing hysterically as Remus was punching the bloody hell out of Sirius.

"What the- hell- are you- thinking? Have you- gone- MAD?" Remus cried as he threw punch after punch at Sirius, missing a few times and punching the stone instead.

James tried to break up the two as they were lying flat on the back of the couch. Katharine attempted to crawl away, but she couldn't pull herself up while squished between the couch and the wall. This was becoming absolutely ridiculous.

Finally, she raised her wand and cried, "_Protego_!" between Remus and a screaming Sirius.

"Oh my gosh! You men are bloody ridiculous! I can't stand all of this guy-brawling-whatever!" She shrieked. Peter had finally composed himself and extended a helping hand to pull her up off the floor.

"Kat, some things you will just never understand," James said as he helped himself up off the floor. "Sometimes men just have to let out a few good punches to get through the day."

"Oh, I'm sorry that I'm not _manly _enough to understand your logic."

"That's not what I meant-" James began but she cut him off with a sharp, "Whatever, James."

Sensing the tension, Remus spoke up after he and Sirius easily turned the couch upright. "It's alright, Kat. We'll just try to refrain from wrestling too much while you're around."

"Don't bother. I'm out of here." Kat didn't know what came over, but she had suddenly become severely angry and just needed to get away before she said anything she'd regret.

"Wait, Katharine-" James said as he started to follow her, but Remus held him back and whispered who-know's-what in his ear. Kat slipped through the crack and stumbled over everything on the floor, trying to get out of the closet as quickly as she could.

"Katharine, wait!" She had made it to the stairs when she turned around to see Peter running up to her.

Breathing heavily, he laid a stubby hand on her shoulder. "Kat, I wanted to ask you something."

"Go on."

"Right... I - uh - I wanted to ask you if you would mind staying here with me over the holiday break? I - you know... I don't have many friends here besides you and the Marauders, and I obviously wasn't invited to go to the Potter's..."

She sighed heavily, "Peter, I'm sorry... I don't know if I can. I may be a little pissed off at them at the moment, but I would still need to ask James. I mean, he _really_ wants me to meet his family... So..."

"But how are you allowed to leave when it's not safe for you?" Peter blinked his beady eyes up at her.

She screwed up her face and asked, "James already told you?"

"Y-yeah, James already told us," he said in a rush.

She frowned, "Well, don't worry about me. Dumbledore and James are being a little too cautious. I'll be fine. Plenty of wizards will be around to keep me safe... Or whatever..."

"Right... Okay." He slumped his shoulders.

"But I'll still ask James, okay? I don't see why you can't come along as well-"

"Psh, yeah right. Why bother? If you have to ask him for _permission_, forget it. As if he's going to _let_ you." He growled and turned the other way.

"Wha-? Peter! No, wait! Come on, let me explain!" She called after him but he ignored her and vanished around the corner. "Aaaaaaargh!" She growled while grabbing her hair in handfuls. She was so aggravated with men right now! Why were they such morons?

She turned around quickly and stomped up the stairs to the sixth corridor. It was almost time for curfew, but she needed to walk around for a few minutes to let out some steam.

She headed down the dark corridor, thinking about how stupid men were and how immature they could be sometimes, when someone cleared their throat and stepped out of the shadows to meet her.

Slightly startled, she said, "Helloooo...?" to the hooded figure.

He slipped his hood off and go figure, it was another man: Snape.

Before she could stop herself, she scuffed out quickly, "Wonderful. More _boys _to bother me."

"Excuse you?" He snapped back at her. "You were the one staring at me all evening in the library. What do you want?"

As if she had just been stunned, she stared blankly at him with her mouth flopped open very unattractively.

"Well?" He stepped closer to her, with one dark eyebrow high up his forehead.

"Um... I um..."

Then she sighed. Now was her chance to say something to him. To stop being a coward and to just spit it out so that Lily could deal with the rest.

"Okay... Lily really likes you, Severus... I mean _reeeeally_ likes you. You two used to be like best friends before you went totally Dark Magic crazy and called her names. So! You need to get over yourself and the Dark Lord and shit, and become her best friend again. Got it?" Okay, that completely came out wrong and probably should have been more polite, but he was a guy, and he needed to hear it straight forward.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Instead his eyes squinted, his lips pursed, and his nostrils flared as if he were about to lash out.

Katharine spoke quickly, "Look, I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but Lily wanted me to talk to you because she's afraid. She's afraid of the feelings that she still has for you because you have turned all bad and everything." He shook his head at her and who know's what came over Katharine, but she instinctively stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Severus, you deserve better. You don't need _him_ and your evil buddies. You need friends that will take the time to know you and have your back. I'm no good at the 'talking' thing, but I know that you're not a bad person. If you really were, you would have beat the shit out of me long ago."

Suddenly he shrugged her hand off of his shoulder. His black eyes watched her carefully as he took a step back.

Kat sighed, "Just think about it, okay?"

He nodded slowly and without another word, he spun around and literally sprinted down the dark corridor and disappeared.

Shaking her head, she turned around and decided to abandon the "take a walk" idea so that she could go to her dorm and end this crazy night. "Okay... What else is going to jump out at me tonight? Seriously..."

Then...

"Hey Katharine."

"AAAAAHHH!" She shouted and jumped about three feet in the air.

Remus chuckled as he watched her clutch her chest and reach for the wall before she fell over. "Sorry, Kat. Didn't mean to scare you."

"You jumped out in front of me! Of course you bloody scared me!"

He bit his lip and, unsuccessfully, tried to hide a small smile.

Once she finally caught her breath, she moved away from the wall and walked past the still grinning Remus. "What do you want, Moony?"

He quickly fell into step with her, "I was just following you."

"Why?"

"Just doing what I was told."

"By James?"

"Of course." He smirked.

She growled loudly, "Gosh, he needs to stop being so protective!"

Remus held up his hand, "Wait, I must be missing something... Why is James being protective of you?"

"Peter told me James had already explained it to you guys," Kat cocked her head to the side.

"Well, I'm totally lost, so you better just explain it."

She shook her head, "No, I really, _really_ don't feel like getting into it right now. Just ask him later."

"Fine, whatever."

Not even a minute had gone by when he continued, "So, Snape huh?"

She looked at him, "What about him?"

"Um, I don't know..."

"If you were following me, then you don't need me explaining everything to you because you just heard it. Right?"

He frowned, "Right."

She rolled her eyes, "Why are you guys so nosy about my life?"

"I'm not nosy. Just concerned."

"Concerned?"

"Yes. You are notorious for getting into trouble. Almost as much as us Marauders."

They made their way up the stairs to the seventh floor.

She sighed again, "Yeah... I know."

Things were silent for a moment. Then Kat said, "Remus, I need to tell you something..."

He stood still and eyed her suspiciously, "Yes?"

"I really can't be with James."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Back to this conversation, are we?"

"I'm being serious! He is head over heels for me and-" she leaned in and lowered her voice to barely a whisper, "And when I tell him about Harry, it's going to crush him." She straightened up and added solemnly, "I'll break his heart eventually."

"Look, he may not care-"

She cocked an eyebrow and pursed her lips so quickly, it made him rephrase hastily, "Okay, fine. He might care a little... But he'll get over it."

Kat shook her head and resumed walking to the Common Room, "I don't want him to just get over it. He doesn't deserve me anyway... He deserves Lily."

"Which reminds me." Remus began whispering, "Knowing that James and Lily are supposed to be together, why are you trying to hook her up with Snape?"

"I don't know!" She exclaimed exasperatedly. "I guess because she asked me to."

"She did _what_?" His eyeballs were as huge as golf balls.

"Yeah. That's how much I have already changed the future. She has her eyes on Snape now... Or again..."

"Again?"

"Well, she said she has always liked him, just a little less since their huge blowout. But now her feelings for him are coming back, but she's afraid because he's bad."

She stopped walking again and grabbed his arm. "Remus, I _know_ Snape in my time. He's not good. But, Lily asking me of this made me think... Maybe I can change him? I mean, you saw him tonight." He nodded in agreement. "He actually _listened_ to me. Sure, he didn't say anything else, but he didn't jinx me either."

"You could be right. But, you have a lot on your plate right now, Kat. Why add more?" He frowned at her, clearly _concerned_ again.

She sighed for the hundredth time that night, "Because that's why I'm here. To change everything."

They were silent for the rest of their walk and finally, Kat was able to say goodnight to Remus as soon as they reached the Common Room, just in case any of the other Marauders turned up.

She had barely turned the doorknob to her room when it suddenly was wrenched from her finger tips and several hands snatched her blouse and yanked her into the Dormitory.

"Young lady-"

"You've got some explaining to do-"

"Majorly."

Kat looked around to see Renee, Jordan, and Laura glaring at her.

She laughed awkwardly as she straightened out her shirt, "Um, I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, cut the rubbish," Jordan squinted her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Yeah. It's pretty pathetic that the only way we know what's going on with you is by getting it through Miss Non-Virgin's boyfriend over here," Laura nodded her head towards Renee, whom shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I heard about that today..." Kat ran her hands through her hair, trying to think of how she could get out of this.

"That's not important right now," Renee said. "What matters is why you have not told us that you've been seeing James for a while?"

"Erm... Well, it hasn't really been _a while_. It only happened a couple days ago..."

"Exactly!" Jordan threw her hands up in the air dramatically.

"We should be the first one's to know about your love life." Laura said.

"And not have to hear it from Sirius the first time 'round," Renee said.

"I'm sorry. I'm kinda new to this whole really-close-roommate-relationship kinda thing." Kat frowned.

Laura sighed, "That's okay. We forgive you this time."

"But from now on, we have to hear first hand every new juicy detail from _you_. And _not_ from the Marauder's. 'Kay?" Jordan grinned.

"'Kay. I'll try."

"Good." Renee twitched over to her bed and sat down on it. Kat began tearing off her clothes and changing into pajamas when Laura spoke up.

"So Kat, did you figure out what you are doing for holiday break?"

Kat decided to stick to the truth as must as she could. "Well actually, yes, I already had when Jordan had asked me at supper, I just didn't want to shout it across the table. James is making me meet his parents..."

"What? Are you serious?" Renee exclaimed.

"Um, yes?" Kat answered.

"Oh my good_ness_! You must look_ perfect _when you meet them!" She jumped up and started rummaging through her trunk.

Kat plopped down on her bed, exhaustion from her day majorly kicking in. She replied with an exhausted, "Huh?"

"Please, Katharine, think for a second." Jordan shook her head as she made her way over to help Renee. "You are meeting _James Potter's parents_. They are super wealthy, live on lots of land and whatnot - everyone knows that. Everyone also knows that he has never, ever invited a girl to his home. Not even over summer break-"

"Probably because he likes to keep his love life a secret at Hogwarts," Laura winked at her.

"Oh please, you guys. James has not been with _that_ many girls..." She paused. "Has he?"

"He's had a fair few, I'll leave it at that." Suddenly, Renee was beaming her perfect white teeth and then sprinted over to Katharine's bed.

"This will look stunning with your hair." She said and held out a gorgeous ivory, lace dress.

"A dress? You want me to travel in a _dress_?" Katharine wrinkled her nose as if she were smelling dirty socks.

"An excellent first impression is a must, Katharine." Jordan explained.

"But, don't I need to be _myself_ as a first impression?"

"Why certainly," Renee squeaked, "and you will do just that with _this_ dress." And she thrust it into Kat's arms.

Figuring there was no use in arguing, Katharine took the dress and laid it across the back of the chair near her bed where she normally laid out her clothes for the next day. "Thank you very much, Renee. I love it and I really appreciate it."

"No wait, you have to try it on now!" Laura exclaimed.

"But I'm tired and-"

"Just two seconds, Kat." Renee begged.

Pursing her lips tightly, Katharine quickly took off her pj's and slipped the dress on, which happened to fit loosely up in the top (Renee was definitely more _blessed_ up top than she was).

"Um, it fits great and all, but it is kinda loose up here," Kat demonstrated and smiled sheepishly.

Jordan immediately raced back to her side of the room. "Here, I have the perfect brown belt to go across your ribs, if I could just - find - it..."

After throwing things left and right out of her trunk, she found the brown leather belt with a huge buckle and helped Katharine put it around her rib cage to sit just below her bosom.

Laura came over with a pair of brown leather cowgirl boots in her hands, "Here ya go. Size nine boots that are always a smart decision for any dress."

"Guys, this is too much... I just can't thank you enough." Kat said.

"Oh, we're just getting started, darling," Renee said.

"Yeah, we will help you with the _whole_ look!" Jordan exclaimed.

Laura smirked, "Yeah, hair, makeup, and _everything_."

"Oh dear..." Katharine may have rolled her eyes at her crazy roommates, but she could not deny how warm and fuzzy she felt on the inside. She felt terrible for ever wanting to keep secrets from these ladies and she made a mental note to herself that from now on, she would stick to the truth as much as possible with her new best friends. They may not be allowed to know about her time traveling, but they certainly could know about her "love life," if that's what they wanted to call it...


End file.
